I Will Win Your Heart Again
by Captain Poupon
Summary: The day after their return from the past, when everything finally seems to be alright, Emma has an accident. Killian has no choice but doing anything to win her heart again. [Captain Swan]
1. Chapter 1: Impact

**Chapter 1: Impact**

Sitting on the bench, Killian's arm wrapped around her waist, Emma Swan was staring at the lake, smiling. So many things had changed in the last few days. So many things had happened the day before; the day before was the day when her parents, Snow-White and Prince Charming, had announced the name of her brother at Granny's, the day when she had travelled back in time with Killian Jones, the day when she had learned he had traded his ship for her, he traded what had always been his home so she could find hers. And that's what he had accomplished; he had brought her home – breaking down her walls in the meantime. For the first time in a long time, love wasn't pain; she was overwhelmed by a feeling of complete happiness.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Hook asked, his voice filled with tenderness.

"I thought I was like an open book?" Emma looked away from the lake to face him, beaming.

"Oh Swan…" He breathed, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand, to finally place his fingers under her chin. They stared at each other. He then leaned in, until his lips met hers. His hand still under her chin while she placed her arms around his neck, closing their eyes, they kissed softly. As their lips parted, Emma opened her eyes, catching her breath, her forehead against his. Killian was slightly biting his bottom lip, his eyes were still closed. When he opened them, he smiled at her before their lips met again.

When their lips finally parted, Emma pressed her head against his chest, breathing steadily, while he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Everything was so good. The last day had been perfect for everyone; everyone except for one person. Emma sighed. "I feel bad for Regina." Killian took a deep breath and passed his fingers through her hair.

"Emma, love, you can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You can't blame yourself for all the misery that happens."

"But this is my fault, Killian. She was finally happy, and I just destroyed her happiness by bringing this woman back from the past." She moved back so she could look into his eyes. "You told me it could have unforeseen consequences, I should have listened to you."

Hook chuckled at her last words and brushed aside a strand of hair that hung down her face. "You know, I don't think listening to me has ever been one of your habits. And you thought saving her was the right thing to do, that's who you are, Swan. You couldn't let her die."

"I know. But I really think I should go and check on her." She paused to stare at him, gauging his reaction. He apparently had nothing against the idea. "We can meet later at Granny's?" Not bothering for a reply, she slightly kissed his lips, stood on her feet and brushed his shoulder as she moved away, licking her lips and thinking she'd rather stay with him. It was cold without the warmth of his arms. She shook her head, trying to think about something else, to think about Regina, the woman she was about to see. That was really hard; all of her thoughts were directed to him. She had barely managed to think about anything else since their journey in the past. Actually, he had become the main object of her thoughts when Zelena drowned him and gave her the choice between saving him or saving her magic. And she had felt like there was no choice to be done; she couldn't have let him die, even if saving him meant losing her magic, which was the only way to defeat Zelena. At first thinking she had given up her magic because it was the right thing to do, she had finally realised that she truly cared about him and that all this time, she had just tried to conceal, not to feel, not letting anyone – including herself – know about the way she had grown attached to him, about how he had finally managed to win her heart.

Emma stopped; she was already there. Taking a deep breath, she slowly moved past the Mayor's car, walked across the garden, towards the front door. She swallowed with difficulty; Regina was surely broken, and Emma was certainly the last person she wanted to see. But she had to see her. Slowly, she raised her hand, and held it clenched for a second, a few centimetres away from the door, before finally knocking.

"Regina? I know you're here!" She waited, seconds feeling lengthy. Finally, she heard the metallic sound of the bolt being unlocked. Regina was suddenly standing in the door frame.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was cold, clearly indicating Emma wasn't welcome here. Behind her strong appearance though, Emma could see the broken-hearted woman.

"Regina, listen, I'm sorry."

"Please spare me that, I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything you could say."

"Just let me come in!"

Regina contemptuously stared at her, her jaws clenched.

"What don't you understand in 'I don't want to hear anything you could say'?" She was speaking slowly, obviously trying to stay calm and fighting against anger. Emma had already seen her upset, but never to this point.

"Regina, you have to keep faith, there is always hope." This was too much, the Mayor couldn't conceal it anymore. She moved forward, forcing Emma to step backwards.

"And now you just sound like your mother! Stay away from me, Swan! Get out of here, go back to your pirate! Why are you even here, what were you thinking about? Just leave me alone, it's better for the both of us, I could hurt you, leave before it's too late!" Regina was out of control. Emma was staring, listening to the words shouted at her, still moving backward as Regina kept moving, leading her out of the garden, and onto the road. Suddenly, the expression on Regina's face changed into an expression of fear, Emma heard a loud noise of tyres squeaking on the tarmac, barely had time to catch a glimpse of the car coming too fast, and felt a violent pain on her side, her feet lifting up from the floor.

"Emma!" Regina's voice sounded distant. Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: Shocked

**Chapter 2: Shocked**

Emma opened her eyes. She had no idea where she was, all she could see was the blinding light over her head. She blinked and looked around, on her left. Regina was behind a glass, looking at her, a sad and embarrassed smile on her lips. She wrapped her coat more tightly and turned around, going away. Emma was confused. Why had she left like this? She looked again and noticed the familiar place; apparently, she was at the hospital.

"Mum!"

Emma turned instantly, to face Henry who was surrounded by Charming and Hook. Not feeling like she was able to talk, she simply smiled; she felt lost, and seeing familiar faces was reassuring. She had some difficulties to think. Doctor Whale entered the room and went to check on the medical equipment beside her. She turned back again towards her son, the pirate and her dad. Someone was missing.

"Where is mum?" Her voice sounded really weak.

"She will come later, she couldn't come right now, she was busy with your brother," Charming explained. Emma opened her eyes widely.

"My brother? But…" She paused for a moment. "How long have I been there? When was he born?"

They all seemed disconcerted by this question.

"Mum, you were there, don't you remember?"

Emma stared at the three of them, confused. Whale looked away from the medical equipment and came closer to her. He talked slowly, to make sure she would understand him well.

"Emma, don't panic, let me explain. You had a car accident. You stayed there for three days. You may be confused right now, but it's nothing to worry about, everything will get back to normal. You just need to relax for now. Hold on, I come back in a few minutes."

Emma stared at him as he left the room. She had been confused a minute ago, now she was completely lost.

"That's okay, love, you will be fine." The pirate carefully sat on the bed, softly grabbed her hand and, with his hook, slightly brushed aside a strand of hair.

"What are you doing, Hook?" She took her hand back from his, and pushed away his hook. Killian stood on his feet and stepped back, not taking his eyes off her, shocked. Not only had she rejected him. She also did something she hadn't done for a long time, since they had come back from New York; calling him Hook. Both Charming and Henry looked at Killian, at Emma, and at Killian again. Charming caught his eye, he seemed distraught. And hurt. He looked at his daughter again.

"Emma, what is the last thing you remember of?"

Emma tried to think. Zelena. She was the Wicked Witch, she had cast a curse. That's why Hook had brought her back from New York. She remembered that quite clearly. But everything else was blurry. She had no idea how she had ended up here. There had been something about Regina. And about Neal. Neal… It was unclear, but her eyes filled up with tears. She looked at Charming.

"Neal…" She choked. There was no need for words, the expression on her father's face said it all. She couldn't remember what had happened exactly, she couldn't remember how she had landed there or what had happened before the accident, but she knew Neal wasn't there anymore. Tears were now silently rolling down her cheeks.

"Emma, you will be fine again, remember what Whale said? He said it was normal to be confused," said her father.

"He's right, Mum, you will remember!"

Emma looked at the three of them, all staring at her, Henry standing close to her bed, his face brightened with hope. Charming was just behind him, while Hook was as away from her as the room allowed him to be, obviously not over the fact she had rejected him this way. This situation was confusing, she was tired. Being the centre of attention was too much.

"I want to be alone. Leave! Just leave me for now, I want to be alone for a while."

They all stared at each other, Charming shrugged and moved towards the door.

"We'll be back soon. Don't worry, Mum, it'll be okay." Henry kissed her on the cheek and followed Charming. Hook was the last one to leave, he looked back at her before disappearing. Emma saw the pain in his eyes, and wondered what was wrong. She didn't understand why he seemed so much affected, much more than all the other times she had rejected him. The door opened again, and the doctor came in.

"Emma, I prefer to keep you here for a few days, the shock has been quite violent, you hit your head really hard, I have to keep an eye on you. I gave you something against the pain, but now you have to relax and sleep. This," he said, showing a syringe, "will help you." Emma wanted to fight against it, she didn't want to sleep, she needed to think about everything that happened. But she was too weak to do so, and resigned herself, letting Whale grab her arm.

"You will fall asleep very easily, in about a minute." She watched him injecting the product. It was indeed really fast; after a few seconds, her eyelids started to fall and she felt falling into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: The Promise

**Chapter 3: The Promise**

Emma was awakened to a regular beeping sound coming from besides her. It was the electrocardiograph, beeping in rhythm with her heart. With everything that happened the day before, she hadn't noticed until then all the tubes connecting her to the machine.

"Mum! You're awake!" Henry rushed towards her, looking happy and excited. "How are you? Are you ready to meet your brother? They're here, they were waiting for you to wake up, can I tell them you're awake now?"

"Yes, of course, bring them in."

A weak smile appeared on Emma's face. Henry ran outside. She tried to think about what had happened, but couldn't manage; everything was still blurry, this was worrying.

Her son came back, followed by Snow, who was carrying a bundle of blankets, and Charming.

"Emma! How are you?"

"I've felt better."

"I'm so sorry I couldn't come yesterday. Charming told me you didn't remember your brother's birth. But it's okay, Emma, just don't lose hope. And while waiting for your memories to come back, we can introduce you to your brother again. If you want, of course."

"Of course, I want." Emma had her eyes glittering with tears, staring at the bundle of blankets. Charming smiled, took the baby from Snow and sat next to his daughter, close enough so she could see the little boy, who was fast asleep.

"Emma, here is your brother, Neal." The baby opened his eyes and looked back at Emma. His eyes were the same blue as his father's. Although he just woke up, he was already smiling, fidgeting his arms over his blanket. Despite all the medical equipment, Emma managed to pull out her arm and grab her brother's hand.

"Hello Neal," she whispered, with a smile filled with emotion, the first smile since the accident.

Almost two hours passed as they talked about the three days Emma had missed, about how it was since Neal had arrived in their life, about how he was preventing them to sleep at night and how he was smiling at them all day. Soon, it was already time to leave.

"We have to go, but we will come back soon, Emma. And don't forget, never lose hope!" Snow smiled, pressing her daughter's hand while holding the baby, and left.

"She's right, mum, you have to believe," Henry said before hugging her.

"I know. I haven't given up yet." She faked a smile, and whispered in the boy's ear, "bring Regina."

Henry looked at her, curious, then nodded and followed Snow out. Charming, standing by the door, was the only one left in the room. Emma wanted to ask him about something, but she hesitated. Her hesitation was apparently obvious.

"Is there anything you want to know?"

"Actually, yes…" She bit her lip, still hesitant. "Have you seen Hook?" If Charming had looked concerned just a few seconds before, he seemed now relieved, and even quite satisfied with the question.

"Yes, I've seen him. But he… wasn't able to come this morning." Not able to come… She remembered the look on his face when he had left her room the day before, and the thought of him alone, on the Jolly Roger, consoling himself with rum, came to her mind. She felt guilty.

"That's because of how I reacted yesterday, right?" Charming went to sit beside her.

"Honestly, that's possible. And understandable too. You know, you were quite close a few days ago, even if you don't remember it. But you shouldn't feel bad about it, your reaction is understandable too, and I'm sure he realises that. He just needs some time to put up with that." It was silent for a moment. "He needs time, but that didn't prevent him from talking about you. He said to me, 'just tell her I miss her smile.' This is what he wanted me to say."

Emma was biting her lip again, trying to prevent the tears from rolling down. Snow had come back and was now waiting, just behind the glass.

"I should go," Charming said. "And remember what your mum told you, you have to keep believing, don't lose hope, and at some point everything will go back to normal."

He kissed her on the forehead and left the room. Emma felt lost and lonely again. She tried to remember, but was still unable to recover her memories. She was tired of being there, of this situation. She had cried so much in just a few hours, that was not her, she wasn't this kind of girl who cries whenever something is wrong. But she needed her memories back, she needed to remember what had happened with Hook. She needed to remember what had happened before the accident, with Regina. A knocking on the door brought her back from her thoughts. The Mayor entered the room.

"Henry said you wanted to see me?" Standing in a corner of the room, Regina seemed surprised.

"Yes, that's right, I asked him to bring you here, I had some questions for you."

Regina pinched her lips together. "Ask away, then."

"It's nothing to worry about. Come and have a seat, that may be quite long."

Regina stared at her, clearly wondering what she was up to. "What do you want from me?"

"I need your help."

"My help?" She sounded astonished, as if nobody could need her help. She finally sat next to Emma.

"Your help, yes. There are things I need to know. Like, when I woke up yesterday, you were there, and you left, why did you leave like that?"

"Oh. Why did I leave? Wasn't it obvious? I wasn't welcome here. Because that's all my fault."

Emma was startled.

"Your fault? What do you mean? They told me it was a car accident, how can you be responsible? Were you the one driving?"

"The one driving? No! A guy I barely know, whose name's Edward I think, was driving. But…"

"How can it be your fault then?" Emma asked, without waiting for Regina to end her sentence. "Why would you be responsible for a car accident if you were not driving?" This was all so confusing. Panic was striking again.

"Calm down, Miss Swan, let me explain. You wanted to talk to me, you came to my house, don't you remember? That wasn't a really nice discussion. Anyway, I told you to clear off, you got hit by a car, and now your pirate holds me for responsible."

"My pirate?" Emma repeated, insisting on the first word. "This is the problem, Regina, I don't remember any of this. I don't remember coming to your house, I don't remember the accident, I don't remember what happened with Zelena, and I don't remember anything that would make Hook mine. That's why I need your help."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that's possible." She truly was.

"What? Why? All those times you manipulated memories, how's that not possible now?"

"Because, first, manipulating memories is not the same as helping to get them back. By the way, I didn't manipulate memories so many times. And, secondly, haven't I taught you anything? Can be undone with magic only what has been done with magic. I'm sorry, Emma, your accident had nothing to do with it, I wish I could help, but I just can't."

They stared at each other, Emma trying to breathe deeply and to calm down.

"What am I supposed to do? Just wait, hoping my memories would come back by themselves? What about Gold, do you think he could help me?"

"He has left with Belle for their honeymoon, I think they have planned to stay there for quite a long time. But even if he was here, I'm not sure he could have done anything. I never thought I'd say that, but it's not magic you need, it's science."

"I couldn't have said it better myself!"

They both jumped and turned around to look at Whale.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to check on you." He went to look at the medical equipment. "Well, everything seems in order. You'll be able to go out soon. Not today, but soon. And about your memories, Regina's right, magic won't do anything. Just know that the brain is unpredictable, maybe your memories will come back by themselves, or maybe you will need to go and see Archie. But for now just be patient."

They watched him leaving the room.

"Do you think he's right? That my memories can come back like this?"

Regina smirked. "I'm not the doctor, he is. But yes, I think it's possible. Sometimes, some little details are enough, and memories just come back, you can't control it."

"Okay, if you say so, then I'll just wait." Emma sighed. "Maybe you can bring me up to date? If that's okay for you. Let's start with the most recent events, why did I come to you, before the accident?"

Regina thought about Robin, about Marian who had ruined her life just a few days before, about Emma coming to apologize. She didn't want to talk about this at the moment, and Emma was already troubled enough.

"That's not important, it's nothing that matters now anyway. All you should know is that you came to talk to me, and it went like half our conversations are going; we ended up arguing. Is there anything else you want to know? What do you remember?"

Emma hesitated, she was suddenly feeling so tired.

"Hmm yes. Zelena, she was after you, what happened?"

"Zelena is gone, we removed her powers. Remember that necklace she had? Without it, she didn't have magic anymore. You helped taking it from her, she was powerless. I wanted to give her a second chance, but she refused, and disappeared."

Emma needed some time; it was a lot to take in.

"Okay so, Zelena's not here anymore. I had no idea about that. Talking about memories, did you get yours back? From the missing year?"

"Yes we got them back, all of us. But are you sure you want to talk about it now? You look exhausted, you should probably get some rest."

"I guess you're right. You take care of Henry, right?"

"Of course! When he's with me at least. He spends quite a lot of time with the Charmings or the pirate. But don't worry about him, he's fine."

"Good. You should probably go now."

Emma was struggling to keep her eyes open, it was so hard to resist. Regina got up.

"Regina?"

Already by the door, Regina looked back. "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

When she opened her eyes again, she wasn't alone, someone was sitting by her side.

"Hello, Hook."

She had called him Hook again. He tried to get over it.

"How are you feeling, love?"

He had called her love again. She tried to stay calm, not to hurt his feelings like she had the day before.

"I'm fine. But I could hurt you again, I still don't remember, you should go away, don't stay with me."

"I have no intention of leaving you now." He knew she had asked Charming about him; she still cared about him, and knowing that, nothing could hurt him. "I'm staying. And I fear you can't do anything about it."

Being teased like this, she sat up straight in her bed, and suddenly felt a sharp pain.

"Don't move too fast, love! You're going to hurt yourself. Didn't the doctor tell you that you have a few ribs broken?"

She opened her eyes widely. "A few ribs broken?"

"Seems like he forgot to tell you. Or maybe you were already asleep. But yes, that's why you need to have some rest. Don't sigh, love. It's boring, I know, I know it too well, remember?"

Emma indeed remembered these days; it seemed to be such a long time ago, these days when she was by his side while he was lying there, maybe in this very bed.

"Yes, I remember quite well."

"Oh, Swan, I thought I'd never see one of those again."

"You thought you'd never see what?"

"Your smile."

She was about to reply, but they got interrupted by a knock on the door. Whale was there again, holding a tray.

"Time for dinner!"

While Emma was looking at the burger and the chips, Hook chuckled.

"Seriously, do they try this on everyone?" He wasn't looking at the burger. He was looking at something else on the tray. Jell-O. Emma giggled.

"Does that bring back bad memories?"

"Not good memories indeed, when they brought me that, I thought it was a joke."

"Yes, I remember. You thought it was a hallucination." Emma laughed again. "By the way, had you eaten it?"

"No! It's one of the worst things I've ever been given on a plate. Except from this thing they forced me to eat in New York, bologna." He was staring at the Jell-O. "It really doesn't look tasty, how can you eat this? Do you actually plan on eating it?"

"Of course! And you will eat some too!" She laughed at the expression of disgust and amusement that appeared on his face. "Help yourself with some chips if you want, I won't eat all of it."

Emma forgot about her loss of memories, simply laughing and enjoying the present time. Seeing her like this, the pirate was beaming.

"Now the question is, will you eat some Jell-O?"

"I feel like you really want me to try this thing. Go for it, then. But try first, in case that's an attempt to poison me." He smirked.

"Oh, you really think I'd do that?"

"Can you blame me for being uncertain?"

Following Hook's request, Emma ate some Jell-O first. He then tried, and found it just as disgusting as it looked, but he didn't regret it; his love didn't have her memories back, but this day had showed they still were able to share a good time together. When the time came to say goodbye, he stood up and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, hand she seized to push it back.

"I'm sorry, Hook, but I'm still confused because of this accident, I still don't have my memories back. I'm not ready yet, I can't handle this, at least for now."

"I know, and I can't blame you for this. But I promise you, Emma, I once won it, and I will win your heart again."


	4. Chapter 4: The Book

**Chapter 4: The Book**

"Have you slept here?"

Again, Emma woke up with Hook by her side, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. The man chuckled.

"Not all the night! I did leave, but I couldn't sleep. So I came back to you." He shrugged, a lopsided smile on his lips, as if coming back was the obvious choice to be made. Emma just stared at him, she didn't know how to feel about it, half amused and half embarrassed he had watched her sleep.

When Doctor Whale came and checked on her in the morning, he finally brought good news.

"Everything looks good, you're free to go, Emma! You're free to go, but don't forget, recovering from broken ribs requires some rest, try not to move too much during the next days. If you're in pain, you can take some of these," he said, handing her a small box of pills. "And if you feel dizzy, or if you have any trouble or questions, you can just come back here."

"Actually, I'm not even sure where to go now," Emma said to Killian after Whale had gone.

"Why wouldn't you go back at your parents?"

"They're already busy enough with Neal, I don't want to bother them."

"You're not bothering anyone, love. But surely sharing a house with a baby is not ideal to get some rest. Where do you want to go, then? The gentleman I am would offer you to come at my place, but I already know the answer to that."

He gave her another lopsided smile and she laughed.

"Indeed you know the answer. I was rather considering taking a room at Granny's, like I did when I arrived for the first time in Storybrooke. Do you think my parents could be annoyed with it?"

"Of course not, they will understand."

"Shall we go now?"

"We can go whenever you wish, love. Do you need a hand to get up?"

"Thanks, I think I can manage this on my own."

Emma sat on the side of the bed and stood on her feet. Maybe she moved too fast, her head started spinning and she lost her balance. The second later, Killian's arms were tightly wrapped around her.

"Seems like you thought wrong. Not that I'm bothered by you being there." He looked down at her, still holding her against him. She stayed there, breathing deeply and clearing her mind, before gently stepping back.

"Thanks. I think I'm fine now."

"You also said that a minute ago, forgive me for being uncertain." He put his arm behind her back and guided her out of the room. Shortly afterwards, they were in the street, which was bathed in sunlight.

"Are you sure you can walk towards Granny's hotel? Or do you want to give me your keys, I can pick you up here with your car?"

"With my car? Have you ever driven one?"

"Actually, no. But I'm a Captain." He teased her. "After the Jolly Roger, a car shouldn't be that difficult to drive."

"Maybe you're right. But no need, I can walk. And I want to see my parents before going at Granny's, it's on the way."

They were walking in the street, Hook still supporting Emma with his arm behind her back.

"Emma!" Someone hailed. It was Snow, approaching hand in hand with Charming, who was carrying a bundle of blankets.

"Hey! We were about to come to you."

"You look great today, that's good to see you smiling like this!" Snow was beaming. "Anything new about your memories?"

"No, nothing for now. But I wanted to talk to you, both of you, about something; I'm not sure that's a good idea for me to go back home, you already have enough to do. With Neal, I mean. And I need some rest, so I was thinking…" She stopped talking, noticing how both Snow and Charming were glancing at Hook.

"Sorry, you were thinking?" Charming asked.

"Yeah, I was thinking I could get a room at Granny's hotel, I think it's better for all of us. If that doesn't annoy you."

"Of course it doesn't! We were actually discussing that with your father, we also think you should get a room for yourself."

"And maybe you should go now, don't stand too long on your feet. Do you need any help to go there?"

"No, thanks, I will walk."

"Alright, we let you go then, see you later." Charming looked at her daughter, at the arm supporting her, and at Killian. "Take care of my daughter."

"Always."

Emma was staring at both of them, trying to decide if Charming had actually winked at Hook or if she had imagined it.

"Emma! Nice to see you're finally out! Is there anything I can do for you?" Granny asked.

"Yes, I'd like a room."

"Oh, great! You can have this room with square view, unless you prefer forest view?"

"Square view is fine."

"Here's the key! Enjoy."

The room was familiar; similar to the room where she had spent her first nights in Storybrooke. She slowly got away from Hook, who was still supporting her, and went to look through the window. The first time she came here, she couldn't have imagined what awaited her; so much had happened since the day Henry had found her in Boston. And yet she couldn't remember all of it, and still had no idea how to recover the missing memories.

"Is everything alright, love?" Killian got closer to her while she turned around.

"I just want my memories back." Her eyes were shining with tears. Without any hesitations, placing one arm behind her back and the other around her shoulders, Hook hugged her. He didn't know how she would react, but to his great surprise, Emma didn't reject him. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his shoulder; it was so good to be comforted, feeling his steady breathing. Tears were silently rolling down her cheeks. It's only after a few minutes that Hook broke the embrace to look at her.

"We will find a way to get your memories back, don't stop believing." Slowly, he passed his fingers on her cheeks to wipe her tears away.

"You sound like my parents," she said with a faint smile.

Hook chuckled. "I definitely spend too much time with them, surely I let myself be influenced." He looked over Emma's shoulder, through the window. "Your son is coming. He had an idea to try to get your memories back, brilliant idea I must say."

Emma also looked through the window, just in time to see her son coming to Granny's hotel. A minute later, he was knocking on the door.

"I leave you with him for now, I'll come back later. Hello kid."

"Hi Killian!" Henry closed the door behind him and threw himself at his mother. "Hi mum!" He glanced at the door and smiled. "It seems to go well with Killian, you're spending a lot of time together, that's good." Seeing the look on her face, he quickly changed the subject. "I've brought something for you, it could help you remember."

Emma looked curiously as Henry grabbed his bag and sat on the bed. He brought out a book from it, his fairy tales book. "It wouldn't be the first time it helps, right? There's one of the stories I want to tell you. Do you remember that day when we were at Granny's, Snow and Charming telling Neal the story of how they met and how they fell in love?"

"No, I don't remember that. What does it have to do with your book?"

"This is how the story starts. You left Granny's diner, Killian followed you, taking this book with him. I actually gave it to him. And a part of the story has been rewritten. Look." Henry opened the book and flipped the pages until he stopped on one page. On this page was a picture of a vertical golden ray of light. "This is a time portal. It has been opened by Zelena when she disappeared, and I don't know how it happened, but you fell through it, and Killian came with you."

"Hold on, Henry. You're saying there was a time portal here in Storybrooke just a few days ago, that Hook and I fell through it, and stories in the book have been rewritten?"

"Yes, Killian didn't want to leave you alone, he followed you through the portal. Some details about Snow and Charming have changed, and now there is this new chapter about you and Killian. After everything we've been through, why does that seem unbelievable to you?"

"I don't know, I don't remember any of this, that's a lot to take in. But let's consider that's true, what happened next? We just travelled in time?"

"Yes, back in time, when Snow was a fugitive and Charming was about to marry Princess Abigail. Listen to this."

And Henry started to read the story, Emma sitting next to him and looking down at the book. He read about how Killian and Emma landed in the forest, how they wondered where, and especially when, they were and figured that out thanks to a poster about Snow-White being hunted by the Evil Queen. Emma was startled as Henry went on about how she met the Evil Queen.

"I saw Regina as the Evil Queen? And she didn't see us?"

"That could have been really annoying if she had noticed you. Though that wouldn't have been worse than what you did next. But yes, you hid, and Killian made you change your clothes. Look, this is him and you, there."

Henry pointed at the pic on the page. Emma could see Hook facing a blonde girl in a brownish hood. She laughed.

"He made me change my clothes?"

"Yes. Admit your red leather vest wasn't really appropriate there."

"I know. It's just… Changing clothes… I wouldn't have thought he would be the one thinking of it. But anyway, what have we done next?"

Henry snorted, and focused again, reading aloud. Everything was told in the book: Killian and Emma interrupting Snow and Charming first encounter, Rumplestitskin leading them in his castle, Emma distracting past-Hook, while present-Hook was trying to fix their mistakes by convincing Snow to steal a wedding ring, Rumplestitskin providing them an invitation for the ball, Snow escaping and Emma getting caught by the Evil Queen. Emma was carefully listening, making comments from time to time, "I ruined my parents' first meeting because I broke a branch?" or, "and you want to make me believe this is me in that red dress, that I danced at a royal ball?" She didn't say anything about the part when she seduced the past version of the pirate; the fact Hook had been jealous of himself was hilarious, but she felt a bit uncomfortable that Henry was aware about that part of the adventure. Henry carried on, and Emma bit her lips to prevent the tears from coming when he read about Snow burning on the stake. She was speechless and went on listening to her son, learning how Snow had survived and came back to life.

"I almost killed my mum," she breathed, still struggling against the tears.

"You didn't, Snow is a tough cookie. And the fact you and Killian fixed everything… you are heroes."

Henry finished to read the story, telling about the Troll bridge, about how Emma had seen her parents falling in love, and finally about how Emma managed to open the portal that allowed her, Killian and the woman she had saved from the Evil Queen to come back to Storybrooke.

"All this story is unbelievable," Emma said as Henry closed the book, staring at her.

"And you don't remember anything?"

Completely in the story, Emma had forgotten the primary purpose of all of this; recovering her memories. Nothing had resurfaced, she felt like the story she had been told was just a fiction. Emma shook her head, Henry looked down at the book on his knees and sighed, before looking up at Emma.

"You don't remember coming back at Granny's, showing us the book, just before Snow and Charming announced Neal's name?"

Emma shook her head again.

"Maybe you need to hold the book," Henry suggested, grabbing her hand and giving her the book. He waited for something to happen. Nothing. Emma felt sorrier for him than for herself; of course she had wanted this to work, but he had hoped so much this would work, and now his hope had faded away.

"I'm sorry, kid. But this was a great idea, it could have worked."

"But it didn't." Henry couldn't hide his disappointment. He sighed again. "I have to go," he said, cracking a smile. "I told Charming I would come to see Neal."

He put away the book in his bag and, after a hug, left the room. Less than a minute later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Emma called, looking through the window. "You forgot something?" She asked, thinking it was Henry. She looked away from the window and turned around. It wasn't Henry. "Killian!" A smile appeared on her face, immediately reflected on Hook's features. He couldn't help smiling; it had been the first time since the accident she had called him Killian.

"How did you arrive so fast? Henry just left, were you waiting behind the door?"

"Not exactly," he replied, repressing a laugh. Emma was staring at him curiously. "I heard your door closing. I actually have the room opposite yours."

"Oh!"

Hook chuckled, and brought the subject back to her. "So, did it work? Do you remember, now?" He came closer to her. His voice was full of hope; she had called him Killian after all.

"No," Emma shook her head again.

"Oh," Hook was surprised in his turn. "I thought…"

"But Henry read me the whole story, now I know what happened, what's the difference if I remember or not? Now I know the truth, what else matters? While I was told the whole story, I realised how much I owe to you, this story sounded like fiction, and surely everything would have been an even bigger mess without you. Killian, I am sorry if I hurt you in the last few days, and I wish you could know how thankful I am that you didn't let me go through that portal alone."

Emma stopped talking, wondering why she hadn't kept that for her, like she usually did. Killian was staring at her with a broad smile. He took another step and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I couldn't have let you go through this portal alone, I would never let such a thing happen. Is what I said to your father written in the book?" He broke the embrace to look her in the eye. "I would go to the end of the world for you."

"The book might have forgotten that detail." Emma replied, biting her lips because of what he had just said, trying not to get lost in his blue eyes as he was placing his hand under her chin. Guessing what he was about to do, she buried her face into his collar.

"Sorry, I can't do this."

"That's alright." And he wasn't lying, he didn't look like he was feeling rejected or disappointed, he was still smiling and teased her, "If the book didn't tell you anything about my amazing words, what did you learn from it?"

Emma laughed and lifted her head to look at him. "The whole story was quite entertaining. I didn't think you could be jealous of yourself! And I also learned about Prince Charles having a dance with Princess Leia."

"You were really good at this. Dancing. You're a true princess, Emma. My princess."

"I can't believe that. And in the book, there was also something about a girl I've saved and we brought back here. Is it true? Have we really brought someone back?" Killian grimaced. "What?" She asked.

"We indeed brought a woman back with us… Robin's wife."

"Robin's wife?" Emma thought about it for a moment. "Oh! No… Regina…" That explained everything; why she had been at Regina's before the accident, and why it had felt awkward since then.

"The whole story couldn't have been all perfect, don't you think? We had to screw up somewhere." He tried to comfort her, humour lingering his words.

"I wish I could remember."

"And one day, you will remember all of this," Hook said, softly grabbing her hand.

"I've been hopeful for days, but memories didn't come back, I don't know why they would come back now. The book couldn't help, Killian, nothing will. All I can do is pretending to remember, whereas all I know comes from the book, not my memory."

Hook was still staring at her. Slowly, he moved a strand of hair aside and looked her in the eye, his face just a few inches from hers.

"You know, if you can't remember, maybe we should let go of these memories. Maybe we could just create new ones."


	5. Chapter 5: At Granny's

**Chapter 5: At Granny's**

Later in the day, Charming came to visit. Emma was on her bed, lying on her side, her head in her hand with her elbow resting on the pillow, talking with Hook. Charming had come to bring her some clothes. He was still there when Emma fell asleep.

"No improvements about her memories?" Her father asked.

"Not any," Killian sighed, looking at his knees. Charming could see the difference; the happy man he had seen earlier in the day, smiling as if he wasn't affected by the situation, as if his love's memory loss wasn't a reason to sadden him, wasn't there anymore. The man, who seemed happy just a few times ago, now looked desperate.

"You're trying very hard to hide your sadness from her, aren't you?"

"Trying?" He raised an eyebrow, looking up at the prince.

"Don't misunderstand me; you're actually doing it very well. With Snow we've been quite surprised to see you both looking so good this morning. But I take it you don't handle it as well as you pretend, right?"

"How could I handle it well? When we finally had everything, she woke up barely remembering me. Of course it hurts me, I would be a heartless man if it didn't." Killian turned to look at Emma as he kept talking. "Opening your heart to love is taking the risk to be hurt. Anyway, no matter how I feel, it's already hard enough for her. She doesn't need me to add my suffering to this whole complicated situation."

Charming patted him on the shoulder.

"You have to hold on, Killian, things will get better. What you're doing is really honourable. I never thought I would say that when I first met you, but the way she's smiling when she's with you, well… you're good to her. Have you tried anything to jog her memory?"

"Her kid had an idea. He read her a story from his book, our story. I really thought it would work. But nothing. I don't know what to do anymore. I told her that maybe we could just give up on the old memories, and create new ones, but that doesn't seem good to me."

He sighed again, still looking at Emma, Charming staring at him, in silence for a while.

"Have you kissed her?"

"Sorry?" He asked, obviously coming back from some daydreaming.

"Have you kissed her?"

Hook frowned and didn't answer; he appreciated the prince, but honestly thought this was none of his concern. Charming stared at him curiously, before his face split into a smile.

"I'm not asking this to intrude. It's just a true love kiss could help."

"Oh. That. No, it's nonsense, true love kiss doesn't work."

They stopped talking as Emma moved and turned over. She was still deeply asleep.

"It works, believe me. Surely you don't know about our story with Snow, but let me tell you it had never been easy, lots of impediments on our way. And each time, we managed to overcome them. There was a time when she had forgotten everything about me, because of a potion she drank. A kiss was all it took to bring back all the memories."

Still staring at Emma, Killian shook his head.

"It won't work. Mate, I don't believe in these things. I tried once, in New York, when she wasn't remembering anything about her life here. I tried, and it didn't work, it's just not my thing."

"Each situation is different from another, you should try."

The prince was asking a pirate to kiss his daughter; Hook snorted.

"She won't let me. And it wouldn't work. She told me what Regina said to her; this time her memory loss has not even been caused by magic. Magic can't bring them back."

"True love is not any magic, it is the most powerful one. I can see you truly love her, and I know that, deep down, she loves you too, even if she doesn't remember finally opening her heart to you. Take a leap of faith, don't underestimate the power of love."

Hook still disagreed. He wanted to argue, but couldn't find anything to say. He just let go.

"Oh I didn't think it was so late already," Charming said after a glance at his watch. "I should go, Snow is waiting for me." He got up and patted on his shoulder again. "Good luck, Killian."

Killian thought about everything Charming had said, and refused to believe it. At least, his love's father was approving of him. He stayed in the room for a while, gazing at the blonde girl still asleep and bathed in moonlight. Finally, he got up, walked to the bed. Slowly, he kissed her on the cheek and whispered, "I love you, Emma." After a last glance, he turned away and silently left the room.

The room was flooded with sunlight, the sky was bright blue, it was a beautiful day. It took Emma a few seconds to remember where she was, and to notice there was no one else in the room. Some images came back to her mind, a dream about her father and Killian, talking about her. Soon enough, the dream faded away from her memory, while she focused on the new day. She felt in a particularly good mood, and all she wanted was to go out. Half an hour later, all dressed after a good shower, her hair done, she was knocking on the door opposite hers. Rushed footsteps could be heard and the door swung open.

"Swan!"

Killian smiled as if he had just seen an angel. Emma was stunned, facing a shirtless man, half hidden behind the door, his hair dishevelled, wearing his leather pants he had obviously just pulled on in a hurry. He looked sleepy.

"Sorry, have I just woken you up?"

"I kind of slept longer than I planned." He rubbed the back of his head. "I intended on being by your side when you wake up."

"Oh! Well, you failed, but I don't blame you!" She laughed, and the shirtless man couldn't help smiling.

"You seem to be in a really good mood today, Swan!"

"Look outside, it's a beautiful day, I don't want to stay inside. Can we go out?"

"Hum…" Hook looked down at his shirtless body and his bare feet. "I may need a moment."

"Oh yeah, of course, I can go back in my bedroom to wait for you."

"There's no need, I'll go to the bathroom, you can stay here."

Emma shrugged and entered the room as he grabbed his leather vest and some other stuff to the bathroom. The bed was unmade, but the rest of the room was quite tidy; like her, the pirate didn't have many belongings. It was the first time she entered one of his places and, curious, she walked through the room. The window was giving onto the forest, which was stretching to the horizon. Almost nothing was lying around, except from a paper on his bedside table. Curious, she grabbed it and sat on the bed. The folds were worn out as if it had been folded and unfolded many times. Inside was a drawing of an ocean with, in the foreground, a majestic swan. In the background was a ship looking like the Jolly Roger, disappearing in the distance. The drawing was beautiful. Emma stared at it for a while before finally folding it and putting it back on the bedside table. She was sitting on the armchair when Killian, dressed in his usual leather outfit, came out of the bathroom.

"I'm ready now! Where do you want to go?" Hook pulled on his coat, not taking his eyes off her.

"No, wait, you're not ready." She walked to him and rearranged some of his hair. "Now you're ready! And I was thinking, maybe Granny's diner? We could have breakfast there?"

"Are you asking me out for breakfast?" He teased her. "I'm kidding! Or not, but never mind, that's a really good idea, come on."

Though she didn't seem to need any support, he put an arm behind her back and led her out.

"How do you feel, Swan? Your broken ribs, doesn't it hurt too much?"

"I feel good today, I guess the medicine is sparing me the pain. I'm just a bit tired, surely a side-effect of the accident. I think I fell asleep quite early yesterday night. By the way," she slowed down to look him in the eye, "you and my father were still in my room, did you stay long?"

"That depends on what you consider as 'long'." He smirked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma suddenly remembered about her dream, both of them talking about her, but she had no idea about what they were saying. Maybe that was not just a dream.

"Were you talking about me?"

Hook laughed. "What else would we be talking about?"

"What did you say?"

"Not saying!" He smirked again.

Talking about Charming, they heard him as they arrived. "I know what you're going through, but believe me, you have to listen to your heart. You're in this kind of situation when, inevitably, someone will be hurt. Who will be hurt is the only thing that depends upon your decision."

The day was beautiful and cold. Charming was sitting at one of those round tables outside Granny's. All the other tables were unoccupied. Facing him was Robin Hood, warming up his hands holding a cup of coffee. The archer seemed exhausted, but smiled when he saw the new-comers.

"Hi Emma, it's good to see you on your feet again! Hi, Killian."

"Hey! I haven't heard you coming. You seem to be doing great today!"

Emma looked at the pirate, indicating the two men with a slight head move. Hook nodded. "Can we join? With Killian we had planned on having breakfast here."

"Of course you can, have a sit!"

A few seconds later, Hook was holding the back of a chair and smiling at Emma, indicating the seat with his hook. "My lady."

Charming and Robin looked amused. Emma snorted and sat on the chair.

"I will order now," Killian said, addressing to Emma. "What do you want?"

"No idea! I need to see so I can choose, I'm coming with you."

"Okay." He laughed as she stood up again. "Do you guys want anything?"

"No, thanks."

Inside, half the tables were occupied by inhabitants of Storybrooke escaping the cold.

"On Thursdays you can have a French breakfast, which includes a hot drink, some slices of baguette to eat with jam and butter, an assortment of pastries, and orange juice," Ruby explained. "Or you can have the traditional breakfast."

Hook and Emma exchanged a look. "The French breakfast sounds nice."

"Don't you think we should opt for the traditional one?"

"If I didn't know you any better, I would think you're afraid. Come on, Jell-O is not included." She laughed and turned towards Ruby. "We'll take two French breakfasts."

"That's a good choice. What do you want as a hot drink?"

"A chocolate with cinnamon for me."

"With cinnamon?" Killian repeated.

"Yep. It's a family thing."

"A family thing?" He smiled and looked at Ruby. "I'll also take a chocolate with cinnamon." He winked at Emma, who was both stunned and amused by his choice.

"Alright, I'll bring you this in a moment!"

"I have never seen you like this, Swan, you're overexcited. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked as they went back in the cold, a hint of worry in his voice, even though he enjoyed her enthusiasm.

"I am aware about this. I don't know why I'm like this. Perhaps it's because of all the days I've spent locked inside. I don't like being stuck in a room. Or maybe it's because of the medicine. I don't know. It's really cold here." They had reached the table by now. "How come did you choose to sit here in the cold?"

"To enjoy the sun!" Her father replied. "But if you want to go inside…"

"No I'm fine, I want to be outside for a while, I was just curious, everyone else is warming up inside. Let's enjoy the sun. How is Henry? He told me he was about to see Neal when he left yesterday, he was really disappointed, he thought I could recover my memories with the book, but it didn't work. Is he alright?"

"Emma, you know your son. A tough lad, he never gives up on hope."

"Here's your breakfast!" Ruby arrived with a tray and put on the table plates, cups of hot chocolate, empty glasses and a carafe full of orange juice.

"Thank you, Ruby, it looks delicious."

"I remember I haven't thanked you, both of you," Robin said just after Ruby left, "for saving Marian. And I'm sorry I didn't take the time to come and visit you, Emma, how have you been doing all these days?"

Emma talked about the accident, without mentioning the reason why she went to see Regina, about her loss of memories, about Killian always being here for her.

"Emma, this breakfast was a good choice." Hook was eating the last croissant.

"Did you like the chocolate with cinnamon?"

"Yep. I can officially be part of the family!" He winked.

"Papa!" Roland arrived, running, and launched himself at his father for a hug, before sitting on his knees. He stared curiously at the pirate's hook. Killian stretched his arm and let him grab it. Robin put the boy down, smiling, as Killian softly helped him climb on his knees, under the tender gaze of Emma and her father.

"Shiny and classy, isn't it? You have good taste, kid." Killian leaned to look at the kid, careful not to make any clumsy movement with the hook that could hurt him. His voice was filled with softness. Emma couldn't take her eyes off them. Charming's phone rang.

"Oh, sheriff's duties, I gotta go. That was nice to be with you, see you later!"

"I should go too, I have to see Marian." He smiled but Emma noticed his slight sigh. She didn't dare asking him why. "Come here, Roland!"

The pirate let him go and watched him leave with his father.

"I didn't know you were so sweet to kids!"

"Emma, I'm always sweet to everyone, don't you know that already?" Killian teased her. "Though I understand; who would think a pirate could have a soft side? But I do love children." He looked down and bit his lips. Emma could swear he was blushing. He then raised his eyes to look at her. "All I wish is to have mine, someday."


	6. Chapter 6: Storm

**Chapter 6: Storm**

Emma was staring at the man. They were still sitting in the sunlight outside Granny's.

"What?" He asked.

"I was just thinking about what you said. I had no idea you wanted to have kids."

"Well, maybe this was a revelation big enough to be kept for the Echo Cave." He seemed a bit embarrassed that he had revealed this, and changed the subject. "Do you have any plans for the day?"

"What about just hanging around?"

"Do you feel good enough for this? What about getting some rest as the doctor told you?"

"Please, I don't want to stay inside, we can hang around without walking all day, we can rest sometimes. And the pain won't cause me any trouble; I took my medicine with me."

"I guess I can't refuse, then!"

They spent their day in the forest. Emma had already been there on a few occasions, mostly while she was wearing her sheriff's uniform. It was nice to be there without anything to look for, just randomly wandering, recognizing some places from time to time.

"This old bridge, I came here during my first days in Storybrooke, everyone was still cursed, my father awakened from the coma, and unconsciously came here to look for my mother, because there was a bridge in the Enchanted Forest where they used to meet."

"It shows how, even under a curse, memories never completely disappear. And I do know this bridge."

"You do?"

"Yes, you came here just a few days ago. With me. When we were in the Enchanted Forest, but I know you don't remember."

"Oh, I'm sorry. It was in the book, I should have known, it's just this story sounds so unreal, you know?"

"Are you really apologizing for having an accident? Swan, there's no need!"

Killian put an arm around her shoulders and led her deeper in the forest. Soon, they were facing a small lake.

"This is also a place where we've been a few days ago. We've been here before we went through Zelena's time portal. And this is also the last place we've been together before the accident."

The man was looking at her, as if waiting for something to happen. But no memories came back; the bench by the lake didn't remind her anything.

"We've walked quite a lot, you have to rest, let's sit on that bench over here."

With his arm still around her shoulders, he led her there. She let herself fall on the bench.

"You should have told me you were that exhausted! You shouldn't make too much effort, you're still in recovery."

"You would have brought me back if I had told you."

Killian tilted his head and smiled, "Perhaps." He sat next to her, leaving some distance between them. Emma, her arms crossed, closed her eyes and silently enjoyed the sun.

"Have I been sleeping?" She asked when she opened her eyes again. She had opened them without having a clue about when she had closed them, without even being sure she had actually slept. Serenely sitting there, facing her with an arm on the back of the bench, the man chuckled.

"Considering how steady was your breath and how long you stayed like this, yes, I would definitely say that you were sleeping."

"And all this time you just stared at me?" She wasn't angry, just confused, not knowing how long she had been sleeping here. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds, it was even colder than in the morning.

"Yes. I could eternally look at you without ever getting bored of your beauty."

Emma was speechless.

"Don't look at me like this," he laughed, "you asked me, I replied. I could have lied of course, but lying is bad form."

She smiled, but couldn't find anything to reply.

"I was wondering," the man began, "do you remember how to use your magic?"

"My magic?" She hadn't thought of it since the accident, she barely remembered what she was capable of.

"Yes. In case you don't remember, you have magic, and I've seen your powers. Lately, you were learning how to control them." He looked around on the floor. "Here," he bent down, grabbed something on the floor and handed it to her: a white feather. "Try to make it levitate. If you want, I mean."

Emma nodded. She put the feather in the palm of her hands and stared at it, focusing.

"I have no idea how to do that."

"I fear I can't explain. Magic is in you, Swan, I've never been more than a simple spectator."

She looked up at him. He was really close from her; the distance separating them when they first sat on the bench had disappeared. A light laugh escaped from her lips.

"I can't focus with you so close, you're distracting me."

"Oh, really? I didn't know I had such a power!" He didn't manage to hide the broad smile appearing on his face. "Well, as you wish!" Killian laughed and shifted to the end of the bench. "Am I far enough from you, now? Or should I go to the other side of the pond?"

"No, stay here." She laughed too and tried again, focusing on the feather. After a few minutes, finally, the feather rose in the air. "Look!" Her smile was one of the brightest as she kept the feather fluttering a few inches above their head. "I did it!"

"I never doubted you could!"

"Why did you ask me to do this?"

He thought about it for a moment, a lopsided smile on her lips. "I enjoy watching you practising magic. And…" He paused. "I know how amazing you are, love, I just want to be sure you do, too."

Once again, she couldn't find anything to reply. The wind started blowing and she shivered.

"You're cold. We should go back to Granny's. It's quite far from here, can you walk?"

"I think I can. We should leave as soon as possible." She was staring at the sky. "Look at that."

A big black cloud was coming their way. It started raining.

"This is not good, a storm is coming, we need to go, now!"

"Wait! Granny's is too far away from here. There's a cabin, deeper in the forest. It's closer, Snow told me about it, she went there one day during a storm. We should go there." Hook nodded. A thunder clap rang out and, suddenly, it rained buckets. Emma grabbed his hand and started running. "This way, we have to follow this path, it's not very far."

The cold wind was unleashed, sending the rain right in their face, making it even more difficult to go forward. The thunder rolled again. Soon, Emma slowed down, and finally stopped, out of breath. "I can't run anymore. Ouch!" She clutched her ribs.

Hook was concerned. "I should have brought you back at Granny's much earlier. Please let me help you, we can't stay here."

"Okay." Emma knew what he was thinking about. She put an arm around his shoulders and the floor disappeared from under her feet as he lifted her. He started running, carrying her. She held on him tightly, her arms locked around his neck. "You have to follow this path, we should get here soon."

A lightning bolt illuminated the sky, followed by another thunder clap. The rain was falling even harder. After a few strides, they could see the cabin. Finally under the porch, sheltered from the rain, Emma was standing on her feet again, shivering with cold. She tried to push the door open. It was locked. She leaned against the door and sighed, looking at Killian.

"Well, that's annoying. You don't happen to know a spell to unlock doors, do you?"

"Nope… But I may have something in my bag." She searched through her bag and took from it two small objects.

"What is that?"

"Paperclips."

"What?"

"Something that can help us, I always keep them with me, just in case."

"Is that some sort of magic?"

"Magic?" She laughed. "No. I just need to unfold them." She tried but her hands were shaking, her fingers paralyzed with cold. Killian wanted to help but couldn't do much with his single hand.

"Swan, wait, give me your hands." He grabbed them and pressed them against his lips. As they stared at each other, Emma could feel his warm breath on her fingers and, slowly, she could move them again. "It should be easier now."

Indeed, Emma managed to unfold the paperclips, and inserted them in the bolt. She bent and pressed her ear against it to listen to the clinking noises, under Killian's admiring look. She moved the wires into the bolt, until a satisfied smile appeared on her face. She stood up and opened the door.

"Well done, Swan!"

Freezing, Emma went inside, hoping to warm up. But the abandoned house was just as cold as outside. It was a single room, plunged into darkness. All they could see was a table in front of them and, on their right, a couch facing a fireplace.

"What even is this place?"

"I don't know, Snow just told me about it once."

"At least, it's not raining in here."

Emma pulled the curtains open and looked through the window, holding on to the ledge. She was still shivering, water trickling from her hair.

"Love, you're soaked to the skin, your coat isn't watertight enough, take mine."

She turned around. "What about you?"

"I'm not in recovery. You're supposed to rest, not to run in the forest under the cold rain. I'm actually not giving you the choice." Killian smirked, undid the buttons of her coat and grabbed the collar to softly take it off. He then rushed to suspend the soaked coat to the hat stand and to take off his own coat, shivering in his turn as the cold reached him. "Put this on," he said, helping her.

"Wow that's heavy."

"And hopefully warmer than your own coat."

Her shivers stopped. "Thank you." She was still facing the window, turning her back to the man, watching the rain falling hard, the trees swinging in the wind, the sky being lightened by thunderbolts. "I've never seen such a bad weather, I've always thought storms happened when it was hot."

"It seems that all kinds of weather are possible over here. All I know is that it's not going to end soon, trust me, I've seen many storms. This one could last a few hours. You look exhausted, you should go on the couch."

"Yes, I… Ouch!" She clutched her ribs again. "In my bag, there's a bottle of water and my medicine."

She tilted her head, leaning her cheek against her shoulder, so she could smell the coat. She had never noticed how good it smelt, a scent she couldn't describe precisely; it was like a complicated mix of fragrances she couldn't identify. It reminded her of the ocean, of these few times when she had enjoyed a day-off on the beach. But it didn't remind her only of the ocean, there was also this pleasant masculine's scent, like a man's fragrance, reminding her of the day when they were in Neverland, when she had kissed him, and therefore been close enough to notice his perfume. Emma stayed there for a moment, smelling Killian's coat, until she realized he was behind her.

"Here." She could hear in his voice that he was smiling. Killian handed her the medicine and led her to the couch. "Maybe we should warn Charming that we're here, or he will think I have kidnapped you."

Emma laughed. "You're right." He handed her phone and sat next to her. "Shucks!" She said just a few seconds later, "there is no network here, maybe we're too lost here, or maybe it's because of the weather." Confused, the man raised an eyebrow. "No network, we can't call. We can just hope they won't notice our absence or, I fear you're right, my father will launch a missing person appeal for me and chase you." She laughed again.

"It seems like we're trapped here for the night."

"And now you're the one freezing."

"I will be fine, I've seen worse. Don't worry about me."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"Well, I do have some ideas to warm up, but there aren't really honourable." He smirked. "You always have paperclips with you, I always bring some rum with me. Rum does have the power to warm up, but I don't think that's the best idea, right?"

"Can't hold your rum?" She teased.

"It's definitely not good form. It would be easier if you could throw one of these fireballs Regina uses."

"Oh!"

"Let me guess," he teased her, "you had forgotten again about your magic?"

Emma bit her bottom lip, repressing a laugh. "I don't throw fireballs, but maybe I can do something about that fire." She went to the fireplace, supported by Killian. She sat there and placed her hands above the hearth, her palms facing the floor. But all she managed to create were a few sparks, not enough for the fire to light. She sighed. "I can't do it."

"Yes, you can!" He squatted next to her and, with the back of his hand, caressed her cheek. She was not expecting this sudden contact. A quiver ran through her body and she felt like an electric discharge in her hands. Finally, the fire was lit. The man chuckled, "this was quite effective!" Emma looked at the fire now burning, and remembered what Gold had told her once, that magic was about emotion. It was still too dark for Killian to notice she was blushing.

They went back on the couch. The fire was now lit, but the temperature was still quite low.

"I guess we will have to wait a bit before feeling the heat." Killian was still shivering.

"You know, you talked about rum. There are other methods, even penguins use it, call it survival instinct or whatever you want." The pirate raised his eyebrows as she took off his coat. She moved on the couch and closed the distance that was separating them, grabbed the coat to use it as a blanket for the both of them, and snuggled up to him.

"If I may, this is quite a nice way to survive the cold," he beamed as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I couldn't let you freeze while I was wearing your coat."

"Thank you, love, that's good form. The coat suited you well, by the way, my lady pirate." He tightened his embrace and leaned his head against hers. She didn't reply anything and simply closed her eyes, focusing on every part of her body against his, separated by only a few layers of clothes. She had forgotten about the cold. His shivers had stopped. She grabbed a part of the coat and pulled it close to her face, so she could smell it again.

"Does it smell good?" He teased her.

"Actually better than I expected!" She laughed and blushed again, without knowing if he could see it.

"Being stuck in a storm could have turned much worse. I'm actually quite enjoying this. With you. I just hope you're not hungry, there's nothing to eat."

"I'm not hungry. I actually have no idea what time it is." She could have checked the time on her phone, but she didn't feel like moving. The storm was still rolling from time to time, and the rain kept falling without interruption. It was surely quite cold outside, but she didn't care; it was warm right where she was. "We just need to find an occupation. Talk to me about you, about your past."


	7. Chapter 7: Killian's Tale

**Chapter 7: Killian's Tale**

"You want me to talk about my past?"

"Yes, if that doesn't bother you, of course. When this morning you talked about kids, I realized I didn't know you as well as I thought."

"It doesn't bother me. It's just there is nothing interesting about my past, you don't want to be bored with that."

"I won't be bored. We're stuck here for the night, we have time to talk, and I want to know more about you. Please?"

They were still snuggling up on the couch, sheltered from the cold rain that was pounding outside. The fire was quietly crackling in the hearth, it was now quite warm in the room, the coat was barely useful.

"Fair enough. What do you want me to talk about exactly?"

"Talk to me about the woman whose name is written on your wrist, Milah."

The man frowned. "Milah? Do you really want me to talk about her?"

"Yes, from what I've heard, she's a major part of your past. How did you meet her?"

"Alright. This was in spring, many years ago," he started, staring at the fireplace, as if he was travelling back in time, reliving the past. Emma, wrapped in his arms, was not taking her eyes off him. "After weeks spent on the Jolly Roger sailing the ocean and searching for some treasures, we were finally back on the land, in a place I had never been before. My crew and I went out in the evening, to a bar in the village nearby. We were already quite drunk when I saw her; a beautiful tall black-haired woman with bright blue eyes. She had entered the bar alone, and she came to sit with us, right in front of me. At that time, I was easily distracted by women, but with her, it was different, this woman I had just met seemed more important than all the ladies I had ever seen. When I woke up the next morning, I didn't know if she had been real or if I had to blame it on the rum, so I went back to this bar in the evening, and she was there. She directly came to talk to me, saying that she couldn't stay long because she had to go back to her husband, but that she came because she wanted to see me again. Surely she had noticed how dashing I was. I still am by the way. Anyway, we spent some time talking, she talked about her husband and her son, I talked about my pirate life. I grew attached to her really fast, I didn't realize why, then. I came back once again the next evening. This was the day when I saw Rumplestitskin and Baelfire for the first time; they came to the bar and she left with them. I was supposed to leave the next day, but I didn't want to go without a goodbye, so I decided to stay a bit longer. Good thing about being the captain, you do whatever you want. I stayed three more days, I went to the bar every night, but she didn't come, until the last evening. She then begged me to take her with me on my ship. She wanted to come with me to escape her life. Did I care at that time about the poor kid left alone with this coward? Not at all; the next day she boarded with me on the Jolly Roger. Rumplestitskin tried to stop us, but he was then so weak, he couldn't do anything. We just laughed at him and left. We spent months sailing the seas, travelling from land to land, until that day when we met Rumplestitskin again. He had changed; he introduced himself as the Dark One. On that day, he took my hand, but not only; he ripped off her heart and crushed it right in front of me. She died in my arms. On that day, my life became filled by only one thing: thirst for revenge. My only goal was to skin this crocodile. On my way, I met Cora. We both wanted the same thing: going to Storybrooke. This thirst for revenge only faded away a few time ago, I finally managed to get over her death, but you know that part, you know what happened next, that's the part when you came into my life."

"You really loved her." He looked away from the fire. Emma had been staring at him the whole time.

"Indeed." He brushed aside a strand of her hair, placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so he could look her in the eyes. "But don't be mistaken, love. She belongs to my past. My present and hopefully my future are all about you."

Emma briefly looked away and took a deep breath. His future to be about her, she wasn't prepared to hear that; once again she was speechless. She noticed his amused smile. Surely he was delighted to see the effect he had on her. He softly ran his fingers down her forearm and placed his hand in hers. They both silently stared at their intertwined fingers. Emma thought about when she had first met him, a pirate she didn't trust. If anyone had told her at that time she would end up wrapped in his arms, her hand in his, she would have thought of them as insane. But here she was, wondering how she could have not noticed the man's soft side.

"How did you become a pirate? How was your childhood?"

"Oh that was a very long time ago, not a really joyful time." His gaze locked on their hands, he told his story. "I didn't live on a ship as you may imagine, my family had nothing to do with piracy. We were living in a small town by the ocean, in a world without magic, the world where you grew up. My father had an important job; he was a man of law. My mother, as most women at that time, was staying at home, taking care of the house and of my brother and I. My mother and I were really close, whereas my brother, Liam, was closer to my father. I really loved her very much, she was everything to me. Life was quite peaceful, until that day when she had been diagnosed with an incurable disease. She died when I was seven. All I have left from her is this."

Emma could feel the emotion filling his voice. Gently, he took his hand back from hers and rummaged through an inner pocket.

"This belonged to her," he said, taking out of his pocket a small pouch. Inside was a golden bracelet, inlaid with small rubies, barely damaged by time.

"It's beautiful." Emma's voice was just a whisper, she nearly choked and couldn't add anything else.

"I found it when she died. I'm not the sentimental type, I usually don't keep things for their emotional value, but this is the exception; I've kept it safe with me all those years. When I was a kid I used to get it out from time to time and I just stared at it, thinking of her. I missed her a lot. She was so kind and beautiful, with her long and wavy black hair, and her dazzling blue eyes. She's the reason why I have stunning eyes; I've often been told I have hers." He tilted his head towards Emma and smirked, raising his eyebrows. "I don't know if you remember when I talked about Milah, I've said I grew attached to her without knowing why. It's only later that I've realized why; the first time I saw her in that bar, she had reminded me of my mother. But I'm digressing there; you asked me how I became a pirate."

Killian put the bracelet back in his pocket and grabbed Emma's hand. She didn't say anything, eager to know more about him. Staring again at their intertwined fingers, he carried on his tale.

"After my mother passed away, life became much less joyful. With my brother, we had different ways to grieve for her; I withdrew into myself, while he took his mind off it hanging out with his friends. My father didn't seem devastated by my mother's death. I was going to school with Liam. He was three years older than me, quite the popular boy, he had many friends, I didn't have any. I had good marks, but Liam was better, at the top of the class. Popular and smart, he was like the perfect child, and it was obvious how my father preferred him. He kept repeating, "Your brother will become a great man, he will succeed in life, but you… what am I going to do with you?" Teenage years have been the worst, Liam was always with his group of friends, some of them had turned into bullies, and I was still withdrawn, always alone, shy and rejected by everyone, belittled by my father, laughed by my own brother. During my spare time, I escaped my reality, and went on the shore, watching the ships come and go, wishing I could board on one of them, and dreaming of adventure. Years passed. When I was fifteen, my dream of adventure seemed to become reality; one night after work, my father told us we were leaving the next morning, that we would board a ship and travel the realms. He said it was because he didn't need to work for a few weeks. The next day, we boarded the ship. I spent four amazing days there, the best days I had spent in years. It was a dream come true, and I felt like the ocean was the place where I had to be. I wanted to sail forever. Liam also seemed to enjoy the trip, and after years spent apart, we started talking again. But as always, nothing turned out as I had expected; on the fifth morning, I awoke and my father was gone. He had abandoned us. Later, we learnt that he had caused the death of six men; he had turned into a fugitive, we had boarded on that ship so he could escape like a coward, instead of facing his mistakes. His acts had made Liam and I orphans, we were alone. But on one hand, no pun intended, it didn't bring only bad things; Liam changed. He had to, he was the oldest, we were alone, and somehow he felt responsible. Our relation got much better. After what our father had done to us, he didn't want to follow his path, he didn't want to study laws as it was planned. A year later, we were sailors. Gradually, we got promoted, and as for everything, he was better and moved up faster than me. But I wasn't annoyed by that, our relationship was at the best. He was my captain, I was his lieutenant. We were on a mission for the king; we had to find a plant said to be a cure for all the soldiers at war. This is how we arrived in Neverland. I came back, my brother didn't; the plant the king wanted was the dreamshade. It was not to use it as a cure for the allies but to poison the enemies. I thought it was a mission of honour, but it wasn't, and it had cost me my brother. We had been fooled by the king and I had no one left. This is when I became a pirate." Killian sighed and looked at Emma. "I had told you this wasn't a joyful time."

"I'm sorry." She couldn't find anything else to say.

"Don't be, love." Her hand still in his, he smoothly grazed her finger with his thumb. "You just asked about dark times of my existence, but let me tell you that if I was asked about you and I, the story would be much more colourful, stuffed with hope, love and happiness." He paused, slightly tilting his head. "You are the best part of my life."

Emma looked him in the eye and opened her mouth, but no sound came out of it. The man chuckled. "Now you can talk about you."

"Not now, it's quite late. But another day, I will."

Killian smiled, thinking of the possibility of another night spent just with her. "You know, I had never opened up like this before, I had never talked about my past with anyone but you. I am actually quite glad you asked, you're now the one who knows me the best."

"Oh, surely I should feel flattered to be the one." Slowly, Emma leant towards him and softly kissed his cheek. Her head on his shoulder, she felt his embrace tightening.

"You will always be my one," he whispered. A smile appeared on Emma's lips as she wondered how long he would find inspiration to flatter her like this. She listened to the crackling of the flames, to the rain still pounding outside. The storm had passed.

"You should get some sleep now, you're supposed to rest. And, if I may, sitting is not the best position for sleeping. I'm sure the couch is wide enough so we can both lie down," he glanced at her, judging her reaction, and smirked before finishing his sentence, "if we huddle up a bit."

"Killian…" Amused, Emma raised her head to fix her gaze on him. "You're ready for anything, aren't you? But I have to admit you're right, sitting is not really comfortable."

"You admit I'm right? So easily? Without even trying to answer back?" He teased.

"Enough," she laughed. "Lie down, I want to sleep."

"At your command, Captain Swan! No, wait, I take this side of the couch, I don't want you to fall on the floor."

"Thank you, that's really kind of you."

They laughed and got settled. Finally, Killian was lying on his back, Emma on his side, still wrapped in his arms, her head on his chest. He made sure she was well-covered by the coat.

"Good night, love."


	8. Chapter 8: Warm Days

**Chapter 8: Warm days**

Her eyes closed, Emma listened to the regular knocking echoing against her ear. She closed her fingers, softly brushing the surface on which her hand was resting. The knocking suddenly became faster. Emma opened her eyes, still listening to Killian's heart pounding. They were lying on the couch, his arm wrapped around her, her head on his chest. A smile began to appear on her lips. The beating of his heart had barely slowed down when she playfully brushed his chest again with her fingertips, which was immediately followed by an increase of his heart rate. Her face split into a wide smile and he chuckled. "Swan, what are you doing?"

"Nothing." She searched for his hand and played with it, folding and unfolding his fingers against hers, intertwining them, caressing his palm, each touch being followed by a jolt in his heart.

"The couch may not provide the best comfort, but I've just had one of the best nights of my life, with the best company I could ever hope for. There is no better way to wake up than by your side. Honestly, you being the first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning is an amazing way to start the day."

"Shh, it's too early for flattering," she said as she put a finger on his lips. "I can't handle this right now."

He was playing with a strand of her hair when they heard a clicking noise. Emma raised her head just in time to see the door opening. His father entered and sighed with relief. "Thanks, you're here!" When Killian's head appeared next to Emma above the back of the couch, Charming's expression changed from relief to fear. "What were you doing?"

"It's not what you think! Don't worry, mate. We had to come here because the storm surprised us."

"You've been surprised by the storm? But what were you doing in the forest? Emma's supposed to be in her bedroom, recovering from the accident. I thought you'd take care of her."

"Actually, that's my fault, I wanted to go out."

"I'm taking you back to Granny's." His voice was severe, there was nothing to argue about. The sheriff's car was parked in front of the cabin. Charming opened the passenger door for his daughter, Hook got in the car behind her.

"How did you find us?" asked Emma as the car started.

"We went to see you yesterday, with your mother, and we noticed you weren't there. Then there was the storm. I came back at Granny's as soon as I could go out, you still weren't there. I tried to call you but it didn't work. Naturally, as I'm your father and the sheriff, I went to look after you during the night, but it was too dark, I couldn't find anything. This morning I thought of this cabin, and here I am."

"We tried to call you, the phone wasn't working for us either," Emma explained. Charming didn't reply anything. His gaze fixed on the stony road, he looked upset. "I'm sorry."

"I found you and you're safe, that's okay."

She was about to reply, but got distracted by a tickling on her side. Discreetly, she slipped her hand between her seat and the door, and grabbed Killian's hand to take it away from her side. Glancing at the rear-view mirror, she caught his eye; he looked quite satisfied. She pretended to look through the window so she could hide her amusement from her father. Soon, Charming parked the car outside Granny's, and grasped Emma's arm to hold her back. "Emma, I'm sorry for sounding like the annoying father, I know you're old enough to take your own decisions, but please, don't do this again, with Snow we've been truly worried." He glanced at Killian who was waiting outside.

"I know, I'm sorry, but please, don't blame Killian, I really wanted to go out, no one should be responsible for taking care of me, I can do that myself."

"Okay. I have to go to work now. Try to get some rest."

"I will. Thank you for bringing us back." She watched him leave, before a smile spread on her face, turning to Killian. "Next time, I'd be grateful if you can avoid doing this in front of my father."

"Doing what?" He asked, repressing a laugh while pretending to be innocent.

"You know what I'm talking about." She nudged him in the ribs, still laughing. "We should go eat something at Granny's. With all of this I forgot I was hungry."

"What kind of breakfast do you want to try now?" Hook teased as they walked towards the counter.

"I don't know. Oh! This looks quite yummy." Emma was looking at some guy's plate. "I'll take the same."

Soon, they were both eating some chocolate and banana pancakes. "Once again, that's a good choice, Swan. I didn't notice neither how hungry I was." He stopped talking and seemed to get away. He had a vacant look, and his smile slowly faded away.

"What are you thinking about?"

Emma was looking at him curiously. He sighed. "Your father is right, that was greatly irresponsible."

"Don't do this."

Ignoring her, Killian went on. "I put you in danger. Maybe they're right, maybe I'm nothing but a pirate, maybe I'm not good to you, and maybe I should just back off so you can get some rest…"

"Stop this," she interrupted him, placing her hand on his. He looked up at her. "Listen to me, I have no idea what you're doing, but let me tell you something: you need to stop, everyone need to stop, thinking someone has to take care of me. I am the one to decide what I'm doing with my days, and I am the one to decide who I am spending them with. Yesterday, I have decided I wanted to go out. And right now, I'm deciding there is no way for you to back off."

As she was talking, a smile gradually made its way to Killian's lips. "You'd be a hell of a captain. I'm glad you said that; now I feel like I have no choice but staying by your side."

"Exactly." His smile was contagious. Emma stared at him, at his dazzling eyes, at his lips. Then, she remembered she was at Granny's, surrounded by people. She took her hand from his and focused again on her pancakes.

"Now you should get some rest." Killian said when he was on Emma's door step.

"I know. But please don't back off, and don't think you're nothing but a pirate ever again. Come back soon, okay?"

"Okay." He gave a faint smile, softly kissed her cheek and turned away. Emma realized she was actually exhausted, and her ribs were painful. She took her medicine and lay on her bed. Too many thoughts were tumbling out, keeping her awake; thoughts about the memories she had yet to recover, and thoughts about the last day, about his hand in hers, about his lips she had stared too long at Granny's, about this touch when she was trying to light up the fire, about everything he had revealed about him. She tossed and turned, tightly holding her pillow. Finally, she managed to fall asleep.

Three days passed. The weather got warmer, but Emma still spent most of her time inside, resting as everyone had advised her. Day after day, her tiredness faded away. Snow and Charming came to see her every day in the late afternoon. Henry was also spending quite a lot of time with her, and with Killian, who usually came to see her in the morning, in the mid-afternoon, and again in the evening. He didn't talk about backing off again.

On the fourth morning, Killian was by her side when she woke up. "Were you watching me sleeping again?"

"I missed you."

Emma chuckled, still lying on her bed. "We were together yesterday in the evening."

"Exactly, so I had time to miss you all night."

She turned over to face him, and smiled as soon as she saw him. "Alright. Any plans for the day?"

"Actually, yes. Well, not for today, it would rather be for tonight, if you accept. I don't really know how it works. This is not something I'm used to do. Years ago, I just, well, you know, you've met the past version of me. Even if you don't remember. Maybe that's better you don't remember." Killian paused. Usually so confident, he now sounded hesitant, some of his words barely audible. Emma couldn't help smiling, this sudden weakness was nothing but cute to her. Killian went on. "Would you accept if I asked you on a date? I mean, nothing to worry about, it would just be about spending some good time out, just the two of us, even if we already spend a lot of time together. This time it would be without being locked in a room or ending up in a storm, and with something to eat and drink. We could go out tonight. Consider this as a creation of new memories. Would you accept to come?"

"Of course I would," she shrugged, grinning. She was seeing no inconvenience to his idea. "What time?"

Resisting the urge to wrap her in his arms, he thought about the time. "As you wish. But not too late, I won't be able to wait too long," he added, giving her his lopsided smile.

"What about six o'clock?"

"Aye, that sounds good. I'll be here at six. In the meantime, get some rest." He left the room and she threw herself on her bed, thinking about the night to come, and about how she would keep herself busy during the next nine hours. A book seemed to be a good option. Soon, she was entering the library. Belle had returned from her honeymoon the day before, enchanted by her journey; Gold had taken her to places she was dreaming to visit since she had read about them.

"But enough talked about me, what about you? Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a book. Do you have a good one to recommend me?"

Emma came back to her bedroom with one of Belle's favourite books. Belle had suggested her different books, she had chosen the one about the adventures of a girl, an orphan crossing the realms hoping to find a family, a home. She had never heard about the author, but the writing was quite enjoyable. It was past four o'clock when she finished the book. She had no idea about how to dress for the evening; nothing in her wardrobe looked good enough. Wondering if she had some clothes left at her parents', she went there. Snow was rocking the sleeping baby into her arms, Charming was out.

"Emma! How are you?" She whispered as she softly left Neal in his cradle.

"Much less tired than the previous days, I'm really fine today. I was wondering if I had some clothes left here."

"Charming brought you everything the other day. Is there something missing, what do you need?"

"This is the thing. I don't know what I need." Snow was looking curiously at her. She couldn't prevent smiling as she told her. "Killian asked me on a date."

Snow didn't have time to reply as footsteps interrupted them. Henry appeared downstairs, facing his mother, a bright smile on his face. "You're going on a date with Killian?"

Emma opened her mouth but no sound came out. "This is adult stuff. And I thought you were supposed to spend the afternoon with Regina?" Snow asked.

"Yes, I'm late, I'm going now." Already on the door step, Henry turned around to face his mother, beaming. "Enjoy the date!"

Amused, Emma was staring at the closed door. "This kid is incredible."

"Much like you. So, Killian asked you on a date? And you said yes?"

"Of course I said yes. He has done so much for me. I couldn't refuse."

"Emma, you shouldn't accept only because you think you owe him something."

"It's not only this."

"Just remember that, whatever happens, you have to listen to your heart."

"This is what I'm doing. I want to go."

If Snow seemed concerned just a few seconds before, she was now beaming. "Everything is fine, then! Let me help choosing some clothes for you, this is what a mother can do for her daughter. Maybe I have something in my wardrobe. What do you want? A dress?"

Emma imagined herself in a dress. Feeling comfortable all night in a dress just seemed impossible to her. "Not a dress. I want something more convenient."

"You can actually wear something quite simple. I'm not sure I have what you need, though." Snow searched her wardrobe. "Look at this. Or this. I'm sure it would suit you. That would fit well if you wear this red top you had the other day."

Finally, Emma borrowed to her mother a black cardigan and red ballet pumps that, luckily, fitted her feet perfectly. Snow was staring at her, like waiting for something. "What are you up to?" Emma asked.

"I know you would do it well by yourself but, can I do your hair? Please?" Emma couldn't resist her enthusiasm and agreed. "I won't do anything complicated, but just let me do it." Emma sat in front of her and Snow started. "I should have been the one doing this all these years," she sighed, as she was braiding a small strand of hair, a hint of regrets in her voice.

"We can catch up some time now," she tried to cheer her up.

Snow was braiding another small strand of her hair, on the other side of her head. Soon, she was tying the two braids back. "That's not much, but you're beautiful, as always. Enjoy your date, Emma, you will find love and happiness, you deserve it." She said as she hugged her daughter.

"Thank you, for everything." It was almost a quarter to six. Emma didn't dawdle on the way back to Granny's. It was warm for a day in February. Five minutes to six. She put on some black trousers, her red top Snow was talking about, with long sleeves and a quite low-cut neckline, the cardigan and the shoes she had borrowed. One minute to six. There was a knock on the door. Emma rushed to open it, and jumped as she saw him facing her, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed. She had spent a part of her afternoon wondering about how she would dress, but hadn't thought for a second he would have done the same; he was wearing his usual leather pants, but his leather coat had been replaced by a black leather jacket, underneath which could be seen a nicely cut white tee-shirt emphasizing his outline.

Killian was also studying her, lingering over her red top and her hair. "Never will I be used to your beauty!" Emma was still examining him. "You like it? Your father lent me this," indicating his tee-shirt and his jacket. She noticed he had also switched his hook for his fake hand he had in New York.

"My father? I didn't expect that. It suits you well."

"Thank you, love. Shall we go now?" With a lopsided smile on his lips and his eyebrow raised, he held out his hand. Smiling back, she grabbed it and followed him out.


	9. Chapter 9: Under the Stars

**Chapter 9: Under the Stars**

"So… Where are we going?" Emma asked, wondering what he had planned for the night.

"You'll see. Maybe we should take your car. Not that it's really far, but you still have to spare yourself, no silly business tonight."

Emma searched her bag and took from it her key she handed to him. "Do you want to drive?"

Killian looked at her, hesitant. "Maybe now is not the time to learn how to drive a car." Emma smiled and sat on the driver's seat. He indicated her the way. Soon they were driving in a part of Storybrooke she didn't know well, in streets she had never been, on the other side of the town. "You can stop here, this is where we're going now." They were facing a restaurant Emma had never heard about. The frontage was illuminated by some golden light, and a sign indicated the name: _La Bella Notte_. "Come on, love." He took her hand and brought her inside where a waiter, who seemed to recognize Killian, led them through the restaurant to a courtyard at the back of the restaurant. The inside was quite luxurious, but Emma had a preference for the courtyard, open-air with a central fountain floodlit with the same golden light as the frontage. Candles were lit on every table. Only a few of them were already occupied. Killian glanced at Emma to judge her reaction, and his lips stretched into a smile. "I knew you would like the courtyard. But if you think it's not warm enough, we can go inside." She shook her head; outside was perfect. Hook nodded at the waiter who then indicated one of the tables. He held a chair for her and sat opposite her, taking off his jacket. Emma tried to keep her gaze away from the white tee-shirt highlighting his perfect outline, away from these uncovered strong arms.

"Here is the menu." The waiter handed them two booklets before going back inside.

All the dishes names were written in Italian, accompanied with a description in English. "Choose whatever you want, Swan, it's on me of course." They both attentively studied the menu. Many dishes were quite appetizing, Emma hesitated. "Have you done your choice?" Killian asked her.

"I think I will take this starter, the one with aubergines, mozzarella and parmesan," she indicated an Italian name she didn't dare to pronounce. "And this, as the main course."

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter was back, holding a notebook, ready to write.

"Yes. It will be some Melanzane alla Parmegiana and Fettuccine al Salmone for my love." Emma was amazed as Killian had spoken in a perfect Italian accent. Aware she was staring, he glanced at her with a lopsided smile on his lips, and winked. "I'll take the Bresaola con Mango and the Agnello al Rosmarino."

"Sure. Can I get you some red wine? The drinks are on the house." They nodded and the waiter left again.

"I didn't know you were able to speak Italian!"

Killian laughed. "I'm not. I'm not even sure that was the right accent."

"That sounded pretty good." Emma looked up at the starry sky. The moon was shining right above them. "How did you find this place? Have you ever come here?"

"I've never eaten in here, if that's what you're asking. I just came this afternoon to book a table. I have often wandered around Storybrooke, I had noticed this restaurant. When I thought of it a few days ago, all I wanted was to bring you here."

The waiter arrived with the starters and a bottle of wine he opened. "This red wine is quite delicious, the best of our cave. You'll see," he said, filling their glass.

Killian raised his glass, fixing his gaze on Emma. "To you, beautiful creature monopolizing my thoughts and filling my dreams. And to this night, hopefully the first of many dates."

Emma bit her lip, smiling, and raised her glass too. "And to you, whose inspiration for flattering seems infinite." He smirked and took a sip before they attacked the starters. "Delicious," Emma announced after a mouthful of aubergines.

"Quite tasty." Noticing her gaze lingering on his plate, Killian paused, his fork halfway between his plate and his mouth. His lips again stretched into a lopsided smile, he indicated the slice of beef and the piece of mango on his fork. "Do you want to try?" She hesitated for a second, but finally nodded. He stretched out his arm and she took the bite. "So, what do you think?"

"Quite tasty, indeed." As he took another bite, he stared at her dreamily, lingering with his fork in his mouth. Amused, Emma stared back. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?" He asked, finally taking the fork out of his mouth.

By the time they had finished their starter, many people had arrived, most of the tables around them were occupied. The waiter brought the main course; fettuccine with smoked salmon for Emma, roast rump of lamb with vegetables and sauté potatoes for Killian. This time, it was him who gazed at her plate. She turned her fork to wind some pasta around it and handed it to him. "That tastes even better than what is on my plate. Do you want some more wine?"

"If I didn't know you any better, I would think you're trying to make me drunk. Don't even try!" She teased.

"Swan, I wouldn't dare!" He laughed. "But okay, let's forget about wine. I prefer rum anyway."

The waiter came back when their plates were empty. "How was everything?"

"Perfect," Killian replied. As he was staring at her, Emma wondered if he was really talking about the meal.

"Can I interest you in our dessert menu? The dessert of the week is a homemade chocolate fondant. We also offer a selection of other desserts."

"Chocolate fondant for me."

"For me as well." Emma looked up thoughtfully at the sky. She felt his hand covering hers.

"What are you thinking about, love?"

"I was thinking about how lucky I am to be here, with you. My life has changed so much; barely more than a year ago, I was alone, without Henry, without my parents, without you." From their fingers now intertwined on the table, her gaze ran alongside his arm. She allowed herself to stop for a second on his tee-shirt, before she caught his eye. He was staring so intensely that she struggled to keep her gaze fixed. It was only when the waiter came back with the dessert, and she needed to move backwards, that she realized she had been slowly leaning over the table, getting closer to him. She noticed he also had to move backwards. Gently, she took her hand back and tried to focus on her dessert. They both agreed on the fact that the fondant was exquisite, Killian saying it was one of the best things he had ever had.

"That was a really nice restaurant, very good choice," Emma said when they walked back to her car. "What about now? Are we going back at Granny's?"

"Not for now. The restaurant was the first part of the night. There is another place I want to take you. Unless you're tired and want to go back?"

"No!"

Killian laughed as she had replied immediately. "That's my girl! Get in the car." The excitement was too much important to be hidden. Wondering where he was taking her, she obeyed and followed his indications. "Take the first right." Not knowing this part of the town, she had no idea where they were going. "Turn left. Okay, park here." He left the car and opened her door. They were parked in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere, by the side of the road.

"You left your jacket on the back seat," she warned him.

"It's warm enough, I don't need it." Emma glanced at his tee-shirt and hesitated. It was quite warm indeed. Finally, she took off her cardigan and also left it in the car. They crossed the road and made their way through the bushes, Killian ahead. "We're there," he said, moving aside the last bush to show her the view, to show her the beach, leading to the ocean which was stretching to the horizon, the moonlight reflecting on the surface of the water.

"And you were saying you didn't know anything about dates."

"Come!" He smiled, taking her hand again and bringing her on the beach.

Emma felt the sand infiltrating her ballet pumps. "Do you mind if I take off my shoes?"

"Why would I?" He smirked. "Honestly, you can take off anything you want, I wouldn't mind, really."

Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sorry, I'm not taking off anything else tonight."

"Tonight?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yes I know, I'm only teasing you, love." Killian looked around and walked towards a package on the sand.

"What is that?"

"Our comfort," Killian winked, lifting the imposing bag over his shoulder. It was bulky but didn't seem heavy. They walked, getting close enough to the ocean to hear the soft sound of the waves. "What about here?" He put down the bag on the sand. "I like this place, the beach. This is where the ocean meets the continent, where my world meets yours. The beach should be our place." Emma thought about it; it was beautifully said, and was reminding her of something. An amused smile appeared on her lips. "What?"

"What you said made me think of the Little Mermaid."

"The what?"

"The Little Mermaid, a cartoon I watched when I was a child, about a mermaid falling in love with a prince and leaving the ocean for him, it's actually Ariel's story."

"The comparison is accurate. I also left the ocean when I found my princess," he replied, giving her a lopsided smile.

Emma took a deep breath as she stared at him. The place was really beautiful, his silhouette was illuminated by the ocean sparkling behind him. Slowly, she took a step towards him, but looked away from him as her foot had hit something: the bag he had brought. "I still don't know what is in there."

"Nothing really fascinating," he chuckled and opened the bag to take out from it a large blanket he spread on the sand. "I brought it this afternoon, I didn't want to bother carrying that all night."

"So you bothered carrying it all alone earlier in the day?"

"Who said I was alone?" He paused, raising an eyebrow. "No, I wasn't alone. Your father was with me."

"My father?"

"Yes, your father. I told him I had invited you on a date. We came here by car. That's when he offered to lend me some clothes." He indicated his tee-shirt. "That was a good choice, you quite like it, right?" Seeing her expression, he chuckled. "Come here," he sat on the blanket and pulled her by the hand so she sat right next to him. Emma looked up at the sky. Away from all the town lights, many stars were visible, many more than from the courtyard in the restaurant. "Have you ever learnt how to recognize the stars?"

"Never. To me they are just thousands of lights in the sky."

"To a pirate they are so much more. But wait, you're going to have cramps in the neck like this." His arm disappeared in the bag and reappeared holding a pillow.

"Really?" She laughed as he placed it on the blanket behind her.

"Yes, really. Why do you seem surprised? Don't underestimate me, Swan, I can perfectly handle this first date with you, and all the dates that are to come." Killian smiled, glancing at her low-cut neckline. He placed his hand above her chest, and playfully pushed her on her back. Slightly biting his lip, he tilted his head to look at her. He eventually took another pillow for him and lay as close to her as possible. "Now, let me teach you about the stars. Let's start with Ursa Major. It's one of the easiest constellations to identify, and also one of the most famous. Can you see the seven stars forming something looking like a wain?" He pointed the sky, tracing an imaginary line supposed to link the seven stars.

"Yes, I see them."

"Good. This is Ursa Major, also called the Great Bear or the Big Dipper. It is always visible, whatever the season is. The two stars on the outer edge of the wain are useful. They are called Dubhe and Merak. If you imagine a line between these stars, and extend it about five times the distance between them, you can find Polaris. This star will show you the North, quite useful to find your way. This is why it's also called the North Star. It belongs to another constellation, Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. It looks like the Great Bear; you can easily identify seven stars also forming some sort of wain, Polaris being the last star of the tail. Like Ursa Major, Ursa Minor is visible all year round. You see? There are three other constellations visible all year round: Cassiopeia, Draco and Cepheus." Killian indicated them and then pointed some other constellations visible only in winter, explaining how to find them among all the stars. Emma kept watching his hand, listening attentively, trying to remember all the names. "And look at this, the milky band across the sky. This is our galaxy, the Milky Way."

"This is beautiful." Her voice was low, more like a whisper.

Killian sat to look at her. "It is. Yet, it is nothing compared to you." Emma sat too, so that only a few inches were separating them. "Would you believe me if I said there is a constellation I've always loved without any reasons?" He looked up at the sky. "I can't show it to you because we can only see it during summer. But sometimes, I really wonder if there is such a thing as destiny, a destiny with a certain sense of humour, that is." Killian looked back at her. "This constellation I've always loved is the Swan constellation. There were moments in my life when I felt like looking at the sky to find some comfort, and for some reason, I liked to focus on this one. Right now we can't see it. But I don't need it; why would I need some distant stars when I have you, my Swan?" Softly, he ran his fingers through her hair, lingering on her braids. Emma felt she was blushing. Looking into his eyes, all she wanted was to get closer. But she resisted, staying immobile, eager to hear his voice again. "You can't even imagine how much you changed me. When I first met you, I was this man living only for revenge; I didn't believe in love, but I noticed your beauty. Somehow, you made me curious; at the foot of this beanstalk, I was really hoping it would be you, I wanted you to come with me. And I wasn't disappointed, you impressed me with that giant. I quite enjoyed our little adventure, until you tied me up and left me there. Honestly, I have hated you for this, even though deep inside, I was smiling at the thought you'd make the hell of a pirate. It's when I was leaving on the Jolly Roger with the magic bean, when Storybrooke was threatened by destruction, when I thought about where I could go, that I realized how much I had grown attached to you; I didn't want to leave you, I had nowhere else to go, so I came back. Then, we went to Neverland, and everything became real to me. This kiss blew me away, it meant everything. But soon after, we got separated; you went to New York, without any memories of Storybrooke and anyone there, while I was stuck in the Enchanted Forest, alone. I had to let you live your life with Henry. I tried to forget, but not a day went by that I didn't think of you. I've tried to go back to my past occupations, but I couldn't, something was wrong, there was no entertainment in what I was doing. You changed me into a better man, and I can't go back to the man I was before. Not being by your side is painful, this year away from you has been the worst in my whole life. All the best moments in my life are the ones spent with you." Killian pressed her hand against his chest. "This heart is beating for you, Emma. I love you."

Emma bit her lip and closed her eyes, focusing on his heart beating under her hand, thinking of everything he had said. Her heart was thumping. She opened her eyes and saw his lips. They were so close. She looked up. The starlight reflected in his dazzling blue eyes. "All this time, I've been afraid of love, I've been hiding behind some walls, trying to conceal every feeling." In her turn, she held his hand to her heart. "But these walls aren't there anymore, and when I'm with you my heart is going wild."

They exchanged a look, his gaze full of tenderness, her breath slow and deep, his hand on her heart, her hair dancing in the breeze. Killian leant towards her, until his lips met hers. Emma felt like something inside her exploded and, suddenly, she breathed in deeply. She opened her door to him, she took off his hook by a simple move of her hand, she walked with him in the forest, she leant over him to kiss his lips as he was unconscious, she smiled at him after Neal's birth, she saw a vertical ray of light while sitting on a bench, she danced with him at a ball, she stared at him while Snow was walking away from Charming in the forest, she joined Killian outside Granny's and kissed him. Her eyes closed, Emma frowned, before opening her eyes widely, understanding what was happening. "Killian!" She breathed and threw herself in his arms, arms he automatically wrapped around her. Her heart was thumping, tears came to her eyes.

"Emma?" He was concerned.

She loosened her grip and caught his eye. "I remember," she said slowly, her gaze filled with emotion.

Killian was confused for a second. His eyes then seemed to shine as he whispered, astounded, "The true love kiss." Biting her bottom lip, Emma was studying him as if she was seeing him for the first time. Softly, she leant to kiss his lips, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Their lips soon parted. His gaze tenderer than ever, he wiped away her tears. "You remember." He could hardly believe, days ago he had given up on hope she would ever remember.

"I feel like I can breathe again, I feel light-hearted. Not that I felt bad before, but I feel much better now, it's like I know who I am, like I've found my place."

"This is worth the fear I've felt, it was really impressive; as soon as our lips met, you took that really deep breath. Your eyes were closed. Then, you frowned and opened them again. It didn't last long, only like a second, but that was an intense second. I didn't imagine this when your father told me about the true love kiss."

"My father told you?"

"When we were in your bedroom the other night, he asked me if I had tried to jog your memory, he said I should kiss you."

"And you didn't listen to him?"

"I didn't believe in the true love kiss, all my apologies for underrating the power of our love."

"You should have tried."

Killian laughed. "Kissing a woman without her approval is bad form. I had to win your heart first."

Again, he gazed at Emma with this piercing look. Playfully, she stared back, trying to keep her eyes fixed. His look was so intense that she was tempted to look away every second, but she resisted. Killian got caught up in the game and a lopsided smile – that made it even harder for Emma to focus – appeared. Biting her lip, she managed to keep her eyes fixed on his. Eventually, his lopsided smile still on his lips, he raised an eyebrow, and she looked away, laughing. "That's cheating, how am I supposed to handle this?"

He smirked and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "You can't win this game against me. But you've been a tough opponent." Killian looked around and sighed. "I hate to say that, but I think it's time to go back."

"No, it's not. Not yet." She lay down on the blanket, looking at the sky. "We can't see the stars anymore."

Killian glanced up. Clouds had invaded the sky. "I don't need the stars anymore to know where I have to go. If I don't want to get lost, I know I just need to follow my heart, I have to be with you." Slowly, he ran his fingers on her face and brushed her lips with his fingertips. It seemed like they could stare at each other for hours without ever getting bored. The clouds did more than hiding the stars. Soon, it started raining. "Bloody hell, not that again," he grumbled.

"Maybe it won't be more than a few drops."

"It doesn't feel like this," he sighed. It was now raining harder. "Emma, get in the car. I'm packing this and I'm coming. Go!"

Emma got up, picked her shoes and walked towards the car. She looked back. He was barely visible under the heavy rain. Her clothes were soaked and sticking on her skin, but it was not cold. There was no emergency in going back to the car. Finally, she ran back to him.

"Love, what are you doing here? You should be in the car, sheltered from the rain."

"It's just some water." The rain was slowing down. Like her, he was all wet. Emma couldn't help staring at his tee-shirt as he was closing the bag; the rain had made it translucent and clingy, perfectly emphasizing his muscles. His hair was dishevelled. She stretched her arm to touch his jawline. He dropped the blanket and looked up at her, while she slipped her hand in his hair, getting closer to him, close enough to feel his breath. Closing her eyes, she pressed her lips on his, one hand still in his hair, the other hand in his back, finding a way under his tee-shirt. Quickly enough, she found herself tightly wrapped in his secure arms. This kiss was the longest and the most intense they ever had. They were both breathless when their lips parted, their heart pounding. Killian kissed her on the neck. Blushing, she felt his lips going down and stopping right above her cleavage. Finally, he pressed his head on her chest, listening to her heart. Minutes went by, Emma could feel her heart beating fast, not slowing down. She wasn't moving, she wanted this moment to last as long as possible. Eventually, Killian got up. "Love, I fear we should go. We're soaked, like everything else. You will catch cold if we stay here. But don't fret, I've had the time of my life and I intend on having many other nights like this one."


	10. Final chapter: Down the Aisle

**Chapter 10: Down the Aisle**

_Five months later, on the last day of July._

Emma could barely believe this day was real, she could barely recognize herself in the mirror. She loved this white dress she was wearing; quite simple, without any lace or a train, but still a beautiful bustier dress. She loved everything about this day, and what she loved the most was this man who had walked into her life and brought her light, love and hope, this man she was about to join down the aisle; Killian Jones. Thinking of his name was enough to bring a broad smile on her lips. At the end of the day, she would officially be Mrs Emma Jones, married to the man who had broken down her walls and won her heart.

Through the porthole, Emma could see the sun reaching the horizon; it was the end of a day, and the beginning of a new life. She could hear the guests arriving above her, on the deck. They had decided to celebrate their union on a ship, a three-master they had rented. It reminded her of the Jolly Roger, even if he didn't agree. They had rented the ship, Killian had dropped anchor near the beach where they had spent their first date and, under his admiring look, Emma had conjured by magic a wooden bridge from the deck to the land. She was now in one of the cabins, getting ready for the moment she had been waiting for weeks, the moment when she would say yes to a life by his side. It was hard not to hop up and down with impatience; she had to stay immobile as Snow was dressing her hair. Killian kept saying she had brought good in him, but he had also changed her a lot. She couldn't remember a single moment in the previous few months that hadn't been joyful; with him she was feeling loved like she had never been before. She could finally feel like she was part of a fairy-tale. One of her favourite moments was surely this warm night they had spent about three months ago, for their twelfth date. All the restaurants of Storybrooke being already tested, Killian had taken her to another town in Maine. He had booked a table in a luxury French restaurant. The tables were installed outside, directly on the sand, facing the sea. While they were waiting for the dessert – something they had never heard about, called tarte Tatin – Killian's shy side had showed up again, as he had seemed to struggle with words like he had when asking her out for their first date. "There is something I want to say, but I'm not sure this is a good idea. I don't know how to say it, and I don't know how you would react. Not knowing what you would say is quite frightening, but surely I should just ask and see."

His hesitation had made her smile. "Alright, ask away, what do you want?"

Killian had stared at her with a lopsided smile, thinking for a moment. When he had talked again, he had sounded much more confident. "What do I want? I want to wake up by your side day after day, and I want to treat you right and do everything for you. I want to be your reason to smile, and I want you to be my reason to live. I want to feel my heart pounding every time I feel your touch, and I want to see you blushing every time you feel mine. I want to say that you're mine, and I want to be honoured to be yours, because I love you. There is one way to get all of this, just one question to be answered: will you marry me?" By the end of his speech, he had one knee on the floor, handing an open box containing a silver ring embedded with a ruby. Emma perfectly remembered how she had felt. Forgetting everything about the people surrounding them, her heart feeling like it was about to explode, tears of happiness coming to her eyes, the answer had seemed obvious to her. She had thrown her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Yes I will!" With a smile filled with emotion, he had put the ring on her finger and kissed her again.

"So, what do you think?"

"Sorry?" Emma came back from her daydreaming.

"Your hair, it's all done, what do you think?" Snow was all smiles, admiring her daughter.

Emma looked into the mirror. Her hair was wavy, some of it arranged in a messy bun. It was sprinkled with beads and white flowers. The dress seemed already unusual on her, but with her hair dressed like this, she was even more difficult to recognize. "It's perfect, thank you so much!"

"I couldn't be more proud of you, Emma!" Snow went back upstairs where Charming and Neal were waiting, leaving Emma alone in the cabin. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing in the mirror. Snow had really done a great job with her hair. She couldn't believe either she was wearing such a dress, as she had never thought she would ever get married. She softly placed her hands on her belly; under the dress could be perceived the nascent baby bump. Emma was now four months pregnant. She remembered too well that one day when she had woken up, alone, in her bed. This was unusual; Killian had got into the habit of sharing her bed, and she had got used to wake up by his side, to stare at him while he was still sleeping, imagining the perfect outline of his body through the blanket. But this morning, he wasn't there. When she noticed the rose and the piece of paper on his pillow, she smiled again and rushed to unfold it. His writing was both masculine and elegant, like stylish scribbles.

_My Love,_  
_I didn't want to wake you up. I forgot your father needed me today, he wanted me to help him with something this morning._  
_I'll come back soon, don't miss me too much, though I know I will miss you. A lot._  
_I love you,_

_Your devilishly handsome fiancé._  
_PS: Your breakfast is on the table._

Grinning, Emma folded back the paper and took the rose. It was when its scent reached her nostrils that she felt something was wrong; suddenly, she felt nauseous. At first thinking it was because Killian was missing, the idea she may need a pregnancy test crossed her mind. She immediately went to the pharmacy to buy one. After minutes of hesitation, worried about the result, she finally looked at it: positive. She could then feel nothing but fright; as much as she loved Killian, she wasn't feeling ready for this, all the memories from her first pregnancy were reappearing. Killian had changed her a lot, but the fear was the same as years ago. Maybe the test was wrong, maybe that was a false positive. Emma ran to the pharmacy to buy another test. Positive once again. She was definitely pregnant. She gave in to panic, holding on to the ledge of the window, breathing hardly, tears rolling down her cheeks. It was more than eleven, she was hoping Killian would be back soon, he was the only one she wanted to see, she wanted to find comfort in his arms, where she was generally forgetting everything about reality. She spent more than an hour pacing her room, walking from the window to her bed, and from her bed to the window again, trying to get rid of the panic. Sitting on her bed, her head in her hands, trying to catch her breath, she dried her tears, decided to hide them from Killian. Eventually, he came back, in a good mood as usual. His expression changed when he saw her. He gazed curiously, concerned, trying to decipher her expression. "Emma?"

She caught his eye, took a deep breath, and revealed to him the news that had been tormenting her for hours. "I'm pregnant."

"You're…" Speechless, a broad grin illuminated his face. He pulled her into a tight embrace, before letting go to be able to look at her. "Emma, this is amazing." His eyes were shining as tears of happiness had made their way to them. Emma had never seen him crying before. He didn't seem afraid at all, just immensely happy. She couldn't handle it, panic stroke again. She burst into tears, tears that couldn't be confused with tears of happiness, and buried her face in his collar. "Emma?"

She was looking down, afraid to catch his eye, afraid of everything. "I can't do it. I don't know how to take care of a child. I just can't, I'm so scared. What are we going to do?" Her voice was shaking, tears rolling down her cheeks more than ever.

"You can do it, you're doing great with Henry," he tried to comfort her.

"He's already a teenager, I haven't done anything."

"There is a moment I will never forget. It was when your brother was just a new-born, when Henry, your father and you were surrounding Snow and your brother at hospital. I was standing at the door, and I've seen your smile. At that moment, honestly, all I wanted was that it could be you on this bed, holding a baby, our baby. My point is that if you smile when you see a baby, you can be a mother." She looked away. Invaded by panic, she seemed to have difficulties to breathe. Killian had never seen her so distraught. "Emma… Emma, look at me!" Placing his hands – his actual one and his fake one he had got to use instead of his hook – on both sides of her face, he forced her to lock eyes on him. "Look at me, love. Nothing can go wrong. I have yet to see you fail."

"I will fail this." She seemed disconsolate, shaking with tears.

"Tell me why you are scared."

"I've already told you."

"Panic is striking you right now, you just need to let it go. Just say it. Why are you scared?"

Emma focused on his blue eyes. Calming down just seemed impossible. "I'm scared because I can't do it. I can't take care of a child, I was not ready for Henry, I'm not ready now, and I will never be. I grew up without a mother, I can't be one." She choked with tears.

"Excuse me for being so bold, but you also grew up without love, and look at us now. You're giving me more love than I've been given in my whole life. And I don't know if you're aware of that, but I love you. I love you, and I believe in you: you will be an awesome mother. Right now you can't see it, because you're panicking. But let go of the fear and try to imagine how it will be." Emma was still shaking, drowning in tears, breathing too fast. "You're not calming down, right? Words have no effect. Let me try something else." Without warning, he kissed her, softly putting her bottom lip between his for a few seconds, before pulling away to look at her. The kiss had distracted her, tears had stopped, but it hadn't been enough to slow down her breath. He wrapped her tightly in his arms. "Focus on my breath, love, follow the rhythm." He stopped talking, breathing steadily. She complied, focusing on the movement of his chest against her. Minutes went by. Slowly, she calmed down. "Good, keep on following this rhythm," he said, still securely holding her against him. "There is no reason to be afraid. What is happening is amazing, there is no reason to be afraid. You won't be alone. I will be there, I will stand by you, day after day, always and forever. A baby is the best thing that could ever happen to us. Love, this is the best present I could be given."

After a few hours, he had managed to convince her; once she had let go of the fear, the thought of a Killian Junior, as dashing as his father, running everywhere in the house, was just irresistible. Nothing bad had happened with him by her side, nothing bad would ever happen, he would be with her. She was now cherishing the life growing inside her, smiling at the thought of a miniature Killian. This was the only point on which he hadn't convinced her. "The baby won't be like me. It will be much better than that; the baby will be a beautiful girl like her mother, a perfect lady pirate." They didn't know if the baby was a girl or a boy, and they actually didn't really care; the baby would bring them nothing but happiness, no matter what. But they liked to tease each other about this; Killian contradicted her whenever she was talking about a Killian Junior, and generally ended up playfully pressing his lips on hers so he could have the last word.

There was a knock on the door, and Emma jumped. Her lips stretched into a broad smile as she remembered where she was: still facing the mirror in the cabin, her hands still on her baby bump, ready to get married. "Killian has without any doubt very good taste. You're beautiful." Charming was in awe, admiring his daughter. "It's time." He held out his arm. She immediately grabbed, and they left the cabin. They went up the stairs, getting closer to the hubbub coming from the guests. The stairs led her on the stern of the ship. Everything was glowing with the sunset light. As soon as she appeared on the deck, the hubbub stopped as everyone turned around to look at her. Like Charming a few minutes before, they all seemed awestruck. She caught a glimpse of the one she loved, waiting for her down the aisle, but she looked away, feeling like she would just run to him if she stared any longer. And she couldn't run, she had to walk. Most of the seats at the back were occupied by inhabitants of Storybrooke she had never talked with. This was the result of their open invitation; anyone could come, and the marriage of Snow-White's daughter had obviously attracted many people. Emma spotted among the guests Tinkerbell, Philip and Aurora. Just in front of them were Belle and Gold. The relation between him and Killian had got better; there was no hate anymore, at least coming from Killian. One day, just a few weeks before the wedding, they had crossed their path in the street. Emma and Belle were talking, while Gold was spitefully staring at the man standing in front of him, at his fingers intertwined with Emma's, at the man again.

"Don't you think it's time to get over this?"

"Are you asking me to be your friend, pirate? Here's my answer: never." Emma staring at him, he turned to face her. "You have to understand. It already requires all my self-control not to kill him."

"No, not friends." Killian made the effort of not saying he didn't want such a man as his friend. "I was just suggesting we should get over the past, hate is leading nowhere."

"Not interested."

Killian shrugged. He had tried. Later, the conversation had led Killian to talk about him. Emma and he were sitting on a tree trunk in the forest. "I know I'm already not using it a lot these days, because I could accidentally hurt you with it, but would you miss the hook if I didn't use it at all anymore? If there was a way to get my hand back?"

At first looking curiously at him, she then opened wide eyes. "Is there a way?"

"Aye, perhaps. I've met Rumplestitskin this morning. He didn't admit I was right about letting go of the hate – you can't ask this man too much, – but he didn't look daggers at me; that's an improvement. He was aware we're engaged. And I don't know why, I don't know if Belle has dropped some goodness potion in his morning coffee, but he offered me, as a wedding present, to give me back my hand. He was serious. He said to me it would be more convenient to put a ring on my finger if I had a hand. Yes, I know," he added when he saw Emma's amazement, "that's why I really wonder what Belle did to him."

"What did you say to him?"

"That I needed to consider it. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about it. Would you be bothered?"

"Why would I?"

"I don't know." A lopsided smile appeared on his lips. "I wouldn't have any reasons to be called Captain Hook anymore."

"Is that your reason?" she laughed. "Anyway, you're Killian to me. Go and see Gold, have your hand back before he changes his mind."

"I will! And situations like yesterday will be avoided." He smirked, playfully nudging her in the ribs. She laughed, knowing too well what he was talking about. He was referring to the previous afternoon. They were in her room at Granny's, he was shirtless because it was a really warm day. Somehow, Emma ended up against the wall, kissing Killian whose body was pressed against her. While he was running his hand under her top, she ran hers along his arm, until she stopped at the level of his wrist. She felt his lips stretching into a smile against hers before he pulled away, smirking. "Not the right hand, love."

"Yeah, I can see that. I've just killed the moment, right?"

"Totally," he pretended to sigh. She blushed and he laughed. "I'm kidding, love. I was teasing you, I just wanted to see you blush."

This was the last time Emma could be mistaken, as he soon went to Rumplestitskin and came back to her, grinning and raising both hands to show her.

Emma couldn't stop all the thoughts running through her mind. She had barely reached the middle of the aisle. Tempted to look at its end, she forced herself to look at the guests so she could keep walking slowly. Regina was there, looking at her with a broad grin. She was sitting next to Robin, their fingers were intertwined. Emma had finally been informed on what Robin and Charming had been talking about when she had met them at Granny's: he loved Marian, but he also loved Regina. He had lived for years thinking he would never see Marian again, mourning her all this time. Slowly, he had learned to live with it. And finally he had met Regina. She had brought light into his life, and he could not just ignore his love for her. His problem had been that he could not help thinking of Regina whenever he was with Marian. Charming had told him someone would inevitably be hurt. Not willing to choose, he had let time take its course. After a few weeks, Marian had noticed he had changed, he had noticed the touch of sadness in his voice, in his eyes. At last, everyone was suffering, and she had preferred to leave. Robin had spent days inside, wondering what he was doing, until he crossed Regina's path again. The way she was now smiling at Emma, holding Robin's hand, with Roland – cuter than ever in his white suit and his bow tie – sitting on her knees, was the evidence pixie dust never lied; they were meant to be.

Smiling back at the guests, Emma kept walking, clutching Charming's arm. She reached the level of the first row of seats, where Snow was sitting next to Ruby, Neal asleep in his stroller. Finally, after seconds that have felt like hours, she was there. Charming held her hand and led her next to the rudder, to Killian. She looked up and took a deep breath as she finally allowed herself to study him. Her heart raced. Dressed in a beige suit, his hair dishevelled the way she liked it, his smile brighter than ever, he was even more devilishly handsome than usual, flawless. Archie was standing behind them, facing the guests.

"Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends," Archie started, "we are gathered here today to celebrate Killian and Emma's love, and witness their joining in marriage. Marriage is…" Archie talked about the values of marriage, while bride and groom were barely listening, too busy staring at each other, exchanging bright smiles. Killian was just too much distracting; she didn't feel like listening to Archie's speech, all she wanted was to kiss his lips. But the only contact she was allowed at the moment was his hands in hers. It had already been two weeks since he had got his hand back, and she was still not used to it. She tightened her clutch around his fingers, staring at his look filled with tenderness, forgetting everyone around as if they were living in their own world, a bubble of happiness. "I love you," he whispered so low that she actually read the words on his lips. Archie was finishing his speech. "Their love is so substantial that they're not even listening to me." The guests laughed, Killian and Emma focused on him again. "This is what love should be like, the ability to live in a world that only belongs to us. It's now time for the vows. Emma, would you like to begin?"

Emma nodded, stood up straight, and took a deep breath. "I've never been really gifted when it comes to express how I feel. All I can say is that I never thought I'd be one day wearing a wedding dress. I never thought I'd be able to love again. I had forgotten how good love can feel, but you've been there to remind me. You won my heart. We could even say you won it twice, but I think that, even if I needed you to remember, my heart has remained yours since the first time you won it, and I promise you it will always be. You wanted to be my reason to smile, you are. I love you." Emma felt Killian's grip tightening on her hands, his thumbs brushing her fingers. She was usually so reserved about her feelings that it was actually the first time she was saying these three last words he had been waiting to hear for months.

"Killian?" Archie asked on a tone that indicated it was his turn to speak.

Looking Emma straight in the eye, still holding her hands, he started talking, confident. "Sailing the oceans is not always easy; sometimes, you have to face a storm. Giving up is an option, but it's worth fighting it to keep sailing. Because most of time, sailing feels like one of the greatest things; this feeling of being free, this feeling that your ship is your home, your own world, a world you mostly control, enabling you to explore all the lands. You are surely thinking I'm digressing there, but I am not, because it is the same with love; our love is our ship, we are both co-captains, sailing life as we would sail the wide ocean. This ship can face storms, such as a memory loss, but the fight must never stop and hope has to remain, because the sun always ends up shining. I know this because our ship is unsinkable, we faced a storm, and now we're here, together. For now we're the two of us, and soon, this life growing inside you will join us. We will be a family. This is the greatest gift I could have ever been offered; thanks to you, I am probably the happiest man of all the realms. There is finally in my life a goal worth fighting for. You are my home, my reason to live, and I love you, more than anything."

Moved, Emma bit her bottom lip. She wasn't the only one Killian's speech had stirred; Archie also had a tear in his eye. "That was… touching," he said. "I now have a question to ask the two of you." He paused a second, making sure he had their attention. "Do you, Killian Jones, choose Emma Swan to be your lifemate?"

"Aye, I do!" He replied immediately, not taking his eyes off her.

"Emma Swan, do you take Killian Jones to be your husband?"

"Oh yes, I do!"

"Killian and Emma Jones, this is my great pleasure to declare that you are now married. May life provide you nothing but happiness."

All Emma wished was that the moment could last forever, floating in this bubble of love like she was right now. Archie gestured to Henry, who came up to them. "You two are perfect together," he whispered to them, beaming. He was holding a small red velvet cushion on which were two silver rings. Emma seized a ring and, gazing at his left hand, put the ring on his finger. Killian studied his hand before staring at the woman who owned his heart. It was his turn. He seized the second ring, the one embedded with small diamonds.

"Emma, with this ring, I promise you eternal love. I promise I will be every day by your side to love you, to cherish you, to shelter you from any harm, from any storms the future could hold. I promise you will never experience loneliness again, and I promise to do anything for your happiness. I promise I will protect and take care of your heart, the most precious of all the treasures. And I promise I will never stop flattering you, but for now," Killian glanced at Archie, "is it time for the 'you may kiss the bride' yet?"

Emma laughed at his question. She was so focused on him that she didn't notice most of the guests had laughed too. With an amused smile, Archie nodded. "You may now kiss the bride."

Placing his hands on both sides of her face, Killian leaned in, her lips parted as they met his. Grabbing his collar, Emma pulled him even closer. Before the wedding, she had thought of this moment when she would kiss him in front of all the guests, this was not the kind of things she was used to do, and she had thought she wouldn't let the kiss last too long. But now she was there, she forgot about it; barely aware of the guests, she had no wishes to end it. She felt like something hot was running through her veins when he lightly ran his tongue inside her lower lip. Emma responded, moving the tip of her tongue against his. Eventually, he pulled his tongue back. She gently nibbled his lip, not willing to let go. Their lips parted, he stared at her, his hands still on her face.

Emma heard Archie say it was now time for the first dance. Music started. "Mrs Jones, shall we dance now?" Killian asked, grinning, offering his hand. Grinning back, Emma slipped her fingers inside it and followed him along the aisle, down the stairs leading to the below deck. The guests stood up and walked behind them. The below deck had been converted into a dance floor. The sky started to darken as the night was falling, stars began to show up. Fairy lights hung around the edge of the ship were providing a soft lightning. Killian and Emma started waltzing slowly as the first lyrics of the song echoed.

_You light the skies up above me,  
A star, so bright, you blind me._

Emma was following Killian's lead, her fingers intertwined with his, her left hand on his shoulder, his right hand in her back, their faces mere inches apart. They didn't need words to express the happiness they were feeling; their smile and the tenderness in their looks were enough. The beat of the music escalated and Killian started spinning Emma around, drawing her away before pulling her back against him. He wrapped her in his arms. He was right behind her. They were both looking at the ocean, his hands on her baby bump, her hands on his, swaying in rhythm with the music which had slowed down.

_If walls break down, I will comfort you,  
If angels cry, oh I'll be there for you,  
You've saved my soul. _

Many couples had joined Killian and Emma on the dance floor, all waltzing synchronously. But they barely noticed them; they were only aware of their dance, hearing the music which was speeding up again.

_You and I we can ride on a star,  
If you stay with me girl, we can rule the world,  
Yeah you and me we can light up the sky,  
If you stay by my side, we can rule the world.  
All the stars are coming out tonight,  
They're lighting up the sky tonight,  
For you._

They kept swirling across the dance floor, Emma gracefully spinning around Killian, until he pulled her back to him. The song ended and the guests applauded. Killian and Emma didn't move. They stayed in a close embrace, her right leg between his, his hand on her waist, their fingers intertwined. Emma glanced at her left hand on his shoulder, at her ring, at his left hand, at the silver ring on his finger. She then looked up at him, fixing her gaze on his bright blue eyes.

"Now you're officially mine," she whispered. With the back of his hand, he grazed her cheek, and whispered back.

"Always."

* * *

**_The End_**


End file.
